MANCHESTER Airport is flying high after being named the UK’s best airport.

The airport — which is the third largest in the country — fought off competition from the likes of Heathrow, Liverpool and Birmingham to receive the accolade at the Travel Bulletin Star Awards.

In 2017, the airport has added San Francisco and Muscat to its list of destinations and has also begun work on a £1 billion transformation programme.

Patrick Alexander Head of Marketing for Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted to receive this fantastic award and would like to thank all the travel agents and people who voted for Manchester Airport.

“2017 has been an incredible year for the airport with record passenger numbers, the beginning of work on our £1bn transformation project and expansion by lots of our airlines.”

The continued growth of the airport is good news for Bolton Council, which owns a stake in the Manchester Airports Group and receives a dividend each year.