A sign of the times? Dubai overtakes Palma as top Manchester airport destination

IT maybe just a sign of the times but Dubai has overtaken Palma as the top destination at Manchester airport, for many years the gateway to Majorca package holidays. Analysis of all British air traffic in the first nine months of this year shows there have been 596,028 passengers between Manchester and Dubai airports - up 21,901 on the same period last year.
Palma, which was number one last year, is down 16,031 to just 583,400.
Tenerife (559,753) is third, while Dublin has risen two places to fourth after passenger numbers rose by 24.2 per cent to 554,074.
Amsterdam is down one place in fifth, while Alicante is sixth, Malaga seventh, Dalaman eighth, Paris ninth, and Faro tenth.
For many years Manchester has been the principal British airport for flights to Majorca but times are changing. The growth in the small regional airports, which all operate flights to Majorca during the summer months and the growth of destinations such as Dubai, which has a daily flight to Manchester, have been blamed for the drop.  The Manchester airport figures should send alarm bells ringing at the local Ministry for tourism in Palma. Not only is Majorca now facing stiff competition from destinations in the eastern Mediterranean it now appears that even the Gulf is starting to hit Majorca, as well.