FIVE lucky travel agents from across the UK drove away with their own new Mini, courtesy of Manchester Airport’s year-long MAG-nificient campaign, which was created for the airport’s 80th birthday to thank travel agents.

For the past 12 months travel agents which have booked holidays from the UK’s third biggest airport have been able to enter the competition.

Throughout the year bottles of champagne have been given away each week, with the star prize being five Minis.

Agents were picked from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Northern England and Southern England.

The winners were presented with their Minis under the wings of the iconic Concorde, at the airport’s Runway Visitor Park.

They were picked out of almost 13,000 entries and come from Glasgow, North Wales, County Armagh, Yorkshire and London.

Patrick Alexander, Head of Marketing at Manchester Airport, said: “To mark our 80th birthday we wanted to do something very special which is why we launched our biggest ever trade incentive to mark the occasion.

“Travel agents are hugely important to the airport and we appreciate every booking they make for travel through the airport.

“What better way to celebrate our eightieth birthday and to reward all of the hardworking agents that sell Manchester Airport.

“It was my pleasure to meet all the winners and hand over the keys to their new Minis.”

MAG-nificent has been running for four years with this year having the biggest ever prize to mark the airport’s milestone birthday.

The incentive is a way of engaging with travel trade to promote the key routes and destinations on offer from the Northern global gateway.

Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest, and on Saturday June 25th 1938, it was officially opened by an air display from the Royal Air Force by the command of Sir Kingsley Wood, his Majesty’s Secretary of State for Air.

Operations began two days later, and in the first 12 months the airport handled 7,600 passengers.