It's not just about geographical location !
Manchester ranks ninth when measured against other European cities on a range of measures including their current and predicted economic growth rates, as well as connectivity, corporate activity, construction, real estate investment, technology and research and development.
Manchester secured ninth place in the ranking of European Cities by this measurement.
Whilst London continues to drive the most significant growth within the UK, with GDP growth predicted to expand by 2.2 per cent per year until 2020, Greater Manchester’s economic expansion is expected to outperform the rest of UK and is ahead of many other G7 member countries.
Whether the surge in expansion is down to this or constraints at Heathrow we will never know.
It is fair to say however that airlines appear to be chasing the money despite the proximity to London and indeed Birmingham.