Manchester Airport back at 2019 standards by autumn, new boss says

Manchester Airport will return to its pre-pandemic standards by the autumn, its new boss has said.

The airport has blamed a lack of staff and a spike in demand for the long queues and cancelled flights passengers have experienced seen since March.

Managing director Chris Woodroofe said demand would drop after the summer and staffing levels would increase.

However, he said anyone travelling before then should arrive no later than three hours before their flights.

Passengers have branded the airport a "complete nightmare", with travellers facing disruption due to cancellations and long waits to collect their luggage.

The airport's former boss, Karen Smart, stepped down as managing director in April, with Mr Woodroofe taking on the role two months later.

Manchester Airport Group said it had recruited 400 new staff since January with another 500 currently going through training and security checks.

Mr Woodroofe told BBC North West Tonight the entire industry was struggling with staff shortages post-pandemic.

"It does not matter whether you are an airline, an airport, a ground handler or border force; each one of the organisations has to do a massive recruitment it has never had to do in its history," he said.

He said the airport was "looking to rebuild" and would return to the standards seen in 2019 by the autumn, adding that by then, passenger numbers "will have dropped and the security officers and all the other staff will be here".

"We will then be focussing on summer 2023 and we will be no longer making a comparison to 2019, but we will be talking about how much better the airport is," he said.

He added that in the meantime, passengers should arrive "not more than three hours and not less than three hours" before their flights.

"Aim for three and we will get your on your way," he said.

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