Deputy chief executive Collette Roche said the increase had been driven by a combination of new long haul services as well as increased frequency and capacity on its short haul routes.
The record number of passengers was achieved between November 10, 2015, and November 10, 2016, and the numbers make the airport the UK’s third largest.
She added the growth in long-haul routes have seen the introduction of flights to destinations including Hong Kong, Miami, Los Angeles and Beijing
New long-haul routes set to be introduced this year and next include ones to Phuket, Mauritius, Goa, Tobago, Muscat, San Francisco and Cayo Coco.
Meanwhile, the short-haul explosion has been largely driven by the “massive growth” in low-cost carriers as well as enhanced winter programmes and additional based aircraft.
She added the airport’s 10-most popular international destinations over the last year are Amsterdam, Dublin, Dubai, Tenerife, Alicante, Palma, Malaga, Paris, Orlando and Faro.
Roche said: “We are really pleased to have hit this significant milestone and look forward to continuing to grow our passenger numbers.
“At a time when capacity in the south is constrained, we are adding more passengers and routes than ever before.
“This underpins the role we play in the north as the global entry point of the Northern Powerhouse and as economic provider and job creator.
“We have more than 22 million people living within two hours of Manchester Airport and our continued addition of new routes and increased frequencies is seeing both business and leisure customers choose Manchester, rather than other airports.
“With two full-length runways and a £1 billion transformation programme announced, Manchester airport has, and will continue to have, the available capacity and demand to meet the needs of our catchment area and beyond.”
To celebrate the milestone, the 25 millionth passenger to use the airport, Chris Stenson, won a pair of return tickets to San Francisco with Thomas Cook Airlines.
