The group behind Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports has said it is "confident of a strong recovery in 2022" after passenger numbers fell by almost 1.5 million last year.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has said it has seen bookings surge in the days following the news that pre-departure and Day 2 PCR testing would be removed.
It added that it's expecting to see traffic much closer to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the summer season.
READ MORE: More than 1,000 jobs available at Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports
MAG served just over 14 million passengers last year, down 9.1% on the 15.4 million from 2020.
However, the near 1.9 million passengers in December 2021 was more than 300% higher than during the same month in 2020.
In 2021, Manchester Airport served more than 6 million passengers, down 13.3%, London Stansted reported 7.1 million, down 5.4% and East Midlands had 829,568 passengers, down 7.8%.
However, their respective December totals of 907,859, 900,910 and 76,638 were 265%, 354% and 408% higher than during the same month in 2020.
MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: "Now that Omicron testing requirements have been removed, people are clearly excited about where they can travel this year.
"We are confident that the recovery will be strong as we head towards to the summer, and the sharp increase in bookings in recent days is hugely encouraging.
"It is clear that the temporary reintroduction of travel restrictions impacted passenger confidence during December, which came after we had seen a strong revival of passenger volumes up to November.
"We will continue to work closely with the Government on a plan for the full removal of all remaining restrictions and hope to see that set out by the end of the month.
"As we prepare our airports for the increased demand we expect to see, we’re delighted to be creating thousands of jobs right across MAG, to suit a range of experience and skills, which will all play a part in ensuring our passengers have the best possible experience as we get back to travel."
