Taimodels has recently released their rendition of Manchester International Airport (EGCC) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom with a yearly average of 23.3 million passengers.

Construction work began in 1935, and the airport was partially operating by 1937 (the official conclusion happened a year later). KLM was the first airline to launch scheduled commercial flights to the newly opened airport in 1938.

It was converted into an RAF base during WW2 and played an essential role in military aircraft production and parachutist training.

The post-war period saw its return as a commercial airport, with rapid growth during the 50s and 60s, where it eventually managed to be Britain's second busiest airport after London Heathrow.

The airport was heavily expanded in the 80s and 90s to keep up with the exponential growth figures, eventually leading to the millionth passenger in a month mark in 1987. Plans for a new terminal were put in place, and it was opened by Princess Diana as Terminal A in 1989. 

From 1997 to 2001, a second runway was built, leading to many protests from locals because natural habitats were disturbed and listed buildings had to be demolished, but they didn't have another option.

New expansion work started in 2019 to keep up with the ever-growing passenger traffic figures.

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EasyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair, and TUI Airways have operating bases in Manchester. Many airlines from around the Globe serve it, including Air Canada, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, KLM, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Turkish, Virgin Atlantic, and more.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with PBR textures, realistic lighting, custom jetways, performance-friendly optimization, realistic terminals, and custom ground textures.

It's available on SimMarket for roughly $20.85, requiring at least 1.68 GB of free hard disk space to install.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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