A RECORD 17.5 million passengers used Manchester Airport last year - an increase of over 8pc.

Bolton Council has a 10 per cent share in the airport.

A delighted chief executive Geoff Muirhead said: "A last minute reprieve for duty free would be the ideal tonic for 1999."

This year, the airport, which in the past 12 months opened a £75m terminal for British Airways and completed a new catering and shopping complex in Terminal One, has further plans.

They include the start of a new twice-weekly Malaysian Airline scheduled service to Kuala Lumpur, and more new routes are expected throughout the year.

work will also proceed on the airport's public transport interchange linking rail, bus, coach and a future Metrolink extension. This will be from a site next to the existing rail station and will start later this year.

Geoff Muirhead added: "Our development programme continues towards the Millennium and sees the start of work on a number of new and improved passenger facilities including the transport interchange.

"A new conveniently located and user friendly public transport hub is an essential part of our ground transport plan, helping us to achieve 25pc of all journeys to and from the airport by public transport by 2005."

Work still continues on the second runway, and extension work will start to increase the capacity of Terminal Two. A new lounge for Belfast travellers will be located in Pier B of Terminal One International.

Airport chairman Brian Harrison said: "1999 will be a year of consolidation and bedding in for our new facilities, following last year's tremendous growth with record passenger numbers.

"I expect the new Malaysian route to be followed by additional services and routes throughout the year.

"The airport's new borrowing powers will enable us to fund future developments and this offers exciting opportunities.

"However we do need to persuade the Government to lift constraints restricting us from investing in partnerships and joint ventures, such as future development of the Metrolink system."

The airport continues to campaign for European duty free allowance to stay, and this has been given fresh hope by encouraging signs of support from UK and German governments. The European Union (EU) has said that duty free will be abolished on June 30 this year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.