It was announced this morning that Manchester Airport is to receive significant investment from China.
As George Osborne begins a trip to China to promote Chinese investment in the UK, it was revealed that a Chinese company is part of a group investing £800 million in the airport.
The money will be used to develop the ‘Airport City’ project, which is focussed on developing the airport’s surroundings, including the construction of offices, hotels, warehouses and factories.
It is thought the project could not only regenerate the area, but also create up to 16,000 jobs.
Using YouGov’s brand perception tool, BrandIndex, we have looked into Manchester Airport’s consumer perception scores to see how it’s viewed by consumers relative to other major UK airports.
If we look at Manchester Airport’s overall Index score, a composite of six key image attributes, we can see that it is in third place (14.9), just behind Gatwick (16.8) and Heathrow (17.2) but way ahead of Stansted (5.8).
Manchester Airport leads its rivals in terms of Buzz and Value, but again finds itself in third place behind Gatwick and Heathrow in terms of Quality and Reputation.
Our data therefore suggests that Manchester Airport is already performing solidly amongst consumers, particularly in relation to its closest rivals.
This significant investment and subsequent regeneration will likely have an impact on its consumer perception scores, potentially making it more competitive with other airports. The redevelopment comes amidst continuing debate over London’s airport capacity, making this a sector to watch over the coming months.
