Manchester Airport is closer and busier. East Midlands Airport (EMA) is further out, but it has real advantages for the right traveller, and the extra distance is easy to plan around once someone else is doing the driving.
EMA is a strong Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI base, with leisure routes to Spain, Portugal, the Canaries, Greece and Turkey. Fares are frequently cheaper than the equivalent seat from Manchester, especially outside school holidays.
A single passenger terminal keeps things straightforward: short queues, a quick walk to the gate, and no juggling multiple terminal buildings.
65 miles is too far to want to drive yourself before a 5am flight, and too far to want to leave a car in long-stay parking for a fortnight. A fixed-fare transfer removes both problems.
As a 24-hour cargo hub as well as a passenger airport, EMA never fully shuts down. Early departures and late arrivals are routine there, not an inconvenience, which suits the timings budget airlines often use.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Fare from |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | Up to 4 | £119 |
| Estate | Up to 4 | £129 |
| Executive | Up to 3 | £149 |
| 8-Seater Minibus | Up to 8 | £165 |
Everything is inside the number: the terminal drop-off, luggage, card payment, and flight tracking. No night-time surcharges, no waiting fees caused by a delayed flight, and free child seats when booked ahead. Split between four passengers, a saloon transfer usually costs less than two weeks of airport long-stay parking.
Not sure which vehicle to pick? A saloon covers most solo and couple bookings comfortably. Choose the estate if you're travelling with golf clubs, a pram, or more than two large suitcases, and step up to the minibus once your party reaches five or six people, since splitting a group across two cars usually ends up costing more than one larger vehicle.
The M6 south past Stoke-on-Trent, then the A50 east through Uttoxeter towards Derby, joining the M1 briefly at Junction 24 before the final few miles up to the terminal.
The M6 around Stoke-on-Trent and the single-carriageway sections of the A50 are the two pinch points on this route. Both can slow noticeably at rush hour or after an incident, so your driver watches live traffic and can switch to the M1 corridor if it's running quicker on the day.
We plan your pickup time around your flight, not the other way round.
Over summer and around school holidays, expect the A50 and the M1 near Junction 24 to run busier than usual, particularly on Friday and Sunday afternoons when leisure traffic peaks alongside the daily commute. Winter brings the opposite risk on the Pennine and moorland sections closer to Manchester, so whichever season you're travelling in, we treat the pickup time as a plan to adjust, not a fixed guess.
Your driver drops you at the set-down area a short walk from check-in, with the fee already covered in your fare.
Choose meet and greet, and your driver will be in arrivals with a name board, ready to help with bags for the drive back.
We track your inbound flight, move your pickup automatically if it's delayed, and include free waiting time after landing.
East Midlands Airport is also the UK's busiest dedicated freight airport, home to major DHL and UPS cargo hubs. That means the airfield never really sleeps, which is one reason very early and very late passenger flights are so well supported operationally. Travelling the other way — from the East Midlands into Manchester Airport for a wider choice of routes? We run that journey just as often. Get in touch for a fixed quote in either direction.
Chasing a Jet2 or TUI package deal that departs from EMA rather than Manchester, often for less than the equivalent Manchester fare. Booking a fixed-fare taxi keeps that saving intact instead of losing it to parking or a taxi rank surcharge.
Manchester-based staff visiting sites or clients around Derby, Nottingham, and Leicester often combine the trip with a nearby flight from EMA. Receipts and invoicing are available for expense claims, and corporate accounts speed up repeat bookings.
With DHL and UPS both based at EMA, we regularly run staff and contractor transfers connected to the cargo operation, often on shift patterns that fall outside normal office hours.
Our minibus option keeps larger groups together for one fixed price, rather than splitting across two cars for a 65-mile trip. Child seats are available on request at no extra charge.
East Midlands Airport sits at Castle Donington, right in the middle of Derby, Nottingham and Leicester. A few of our passengers combine the airport run with a stop nearby, or ask us to collect from one of these towns instead of Manchester on the way home.
The motor racing circuit is a few minutes from the terminal, well known to motorsport fans for British Superbikes and its motorcycle racing history.
Each around 20 to 30 minutes away by road. If your trip involves a wedding, conference, or family visit in any of these towns either side of your flight, we can build a stop into the same booking rather than treating it as a separate journey.
A popular stop in Leicester for families travelling with children, whether it's on the way to the airport or built into a longer trip.
On a longer cross-country route like this one, safety matters more, not less. Here's what's in place on every journey.
Every driver is licensed, DBS-checked, and fully insured for private hire work, driving a vehicle that's regularly serviced and fit for a two-and-a-half-hour round trip.
Your driver's name, photo, and vehicle registration are sent to you before pickup, so you know exactly who is collecting you, day or night.
Vehicles carry commercial private hire insurance, and background checks are renewed on a rolling basis, not just done once when a driver joins.
Not sure which one makes sense for your trip? Here's the quick comparison. If your flight only runs from EMA, or the fare is genuinely cheaper there, the extra distance is easily worth handling with a fixed-price transfer rather than talking yourself out of the better deal.
| What matters | Manchester Airport (MAN) | East Midlands Airport (EMA) |
|---|---|---|
| Distance from Manchester | On your doorstep | ~65 miles, 1h 15m–1h 30m |
| Route network | Long-haul and short-haul, dozens of airlines | Mainly Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI leisure routes |
| Terminal size | Three terminals, larger and busier | One compact terminal, quicker to move through |
| Typical traveller | Anyone needing route choice or long-haul | Leisure flyers chasing a specific package deal |
| Getting there | Local taxi, train, or tram | Fixed-fare taxi is the simplest door-to-door option |
This transfer isn't limited to Manchester city centre. We collect from anywhere along the route, including:
Cheshire towns like Wilmslow, Knutsford, and Congleton sit closer to the start of the M6 leg, and if you're further along the corridor in Staffordshire, around Stoke-on-Trent or Leek, the transfer is shorter still, with the fixed fare reflecting that when you get your quote. Just enter your postcode when you book, and we'll confirm your exact pickup point along with your fixed price before you commit to anything. It works the same way in reverse for the return leg, so your driver home is arranged just as easily as the trip out.
No apps to download and no account needed. Most bookings take under a minute online, and a phone call takes about the same if you'd rather speak to someone.
Enter your postcode and travel date online, or call 0161 399 2127 — any hour, answered by a person.
We set the right pickup time for your address and departure.
Instant email and SMS, then your driver's name, photo, and registration before collection.
Driver ten minutes early, bags in the boot, terminal doors about 75 minutes later.
Pay by card, Apple Pay, or bank transfer. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before travel, and unlimited free date and time changes if your flight moves. Corporate accounts with monthly invoicing available. Drivers do not take cash or card payments in the vehicle itself, which keeps the fixed price genuinely fixed for both you and your driver.
Fixed fares start from £119 in a standard saloon, covering the roughly 65-mile journey via the M6 and A50. The price is agreed before you travel and does not change for traffic, waiting time, or time of day.
Typically 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on traffic around Stoke-on-Trent and on the A50. We build extra time into your pickup around known busy periods.
East Midlands Airport is served mainly by Ryanair, Jet2, and TUI, with leisure routes across Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Greece, and Turkey.
No. It is the UK's busiest dedicated freight airport and a major hub for DHL and UPS, but it also runs a full passenger schedule with its own dedicated terminal.
Yes. We track your inbound flight in real time and adjust your pickup automatically if it is delayed, with free waiting time included after landing.
Yes, we run the route in both directions with a fixed fare, meet and greet, and flight tracking as standard.
Yes. Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester are all within 20 to 30 minutes of the airport, and we can build a stop or a different pickup point into your booking.
Yes. We collect from across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, including Stockport, Altrincham, and Wilmslow, as well as Staffordshire towns such as Stoke-on-Trent, which sit closer to the route.
Budget-friendly Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI deals from a calmer terminal, with the 65 miles in between handled by a professional driver for a fixed price. Fix your fare, share your flight number, and consider it done — whichever direction you're travelling.
Book My Manchester to East Midlands Airport Taxi 0161 399 2127 info@taxis-manchester.com