Manchester Airport: Mayor asks government to speed up vetting process

Greater Manchester's mayor is asking the government to speed up the vetting process for new staff at Manchester Airport amid the ongoing travel chaos.

It comes after weeks of criticism over long security queues leading to passengers missing their flights.

Mayor Andy Burnham has warned that the disruption would continue "for the next two months".

He is calling on the minister for security and borders to prioritise Manchester Airport security checks.

Travellers at the airport, which is owned by Greater Manchester's 10 councils and an investment firm, have faced long queues for check-in and security over the past month.

The problems first came to light in mid-March when passengers were left waiting for hours, with some forced to queue outside in the car park while others missed their flights

MAG previously apologised and said the industry was "facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges" an on Tuesday its managing director Karen Smart stepped down.

Earlier, baggage handling firm Swissport apologised to passengers who have faced long delays waiting for their bags after getting off planes.

In a statement released earlier, Mr Burnham, who met with senior management at the airport on Tuesday, said some of the issues had been "beyond their control".

However, he said "more should have been done earlier" and communications with passengers "should have been better, as should the management of the queues".

Mr Burnham said a string of measures had been brought in to ease disruption and the airport had made "huge efforts" to recruit staff with 220 workers waiting for clearance.

But he added that "one of the issues" was the length of time it was taking for security checks to be completed.

"I am today writing to the minister for security and borders asking if large airports, such as Manchester, which are experiencing longer-waits for vetting, could be prioritised for a period to speed up the process," he said.

He added that he had also offered for experienced Transport for Greater Manchester staff to assist at the airport.

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