A method of manufacturing an absorbent article, and an absorbent article, in the form of a pants-type diaper or a sanitary panty, starting from a flat blank which includes an elongated absorbent body enclosed between two casing sheets which at opposing front and rear end parts of the absorbent body have side parts which extend laterally beyond the body on both sides thereof. The method includes the step of folding the blank around a transverse axis so that the end edges of the side parts lie edge-to-edge. At least one folded band of flexible material is placed between each pair of front and rear side parts which lie opposite one another in the folded state of the blank, and the free ends of the bands are fastened to adjacent side parts.