Bosses at Manchester Airport have warned that the current queues, delays, and cancellations could continue “for the next few months”.
After what has been a few weeks of travel bedlam at the UK’s second largest airport, that has particularly been impacting travellers this over this past week, with many hit by cancellations due to staff shortages and long waits of up to 90 minutes or more, Manchester Airport bosses have been speaking out to warn that the chaos could continue.
CEO of Manchester Airport Group (MAG), Charlie Cornish, has released a statement this morning on the ongoing matter and has apologised to “anyone who has been affected by the disruption”.
It comes after the Airport’s Managing Director, Karen Smart, stepped down from her role earlier this week after being appointed at the start on the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and would be leaving to return to the south of England and “pursue fresh career opportunities”.
It also comes after Manchester Airport has recently cited COVID challenges and staff absences after the aviation sector has “effectively been in survival mode” for the past two years.
Mr Cornish said in his statement that he “wants to be clear” about what people can expect in the next month or two as the Airport “tackles these challenges”.
“The simple fact is that we don’t currently have the number of staff we need to provide the level of service that our passengers deserve and despite our efforts since last Autumn, the tight labour market around the airport has meant we have just not been able to hire people quickly enough to establish a full-strength team.
“Practically, staff shortages mean that we cannot open all the security lanes we need and at times, this results in longer queues than we want to see.
“While we still expect most passengers to get through in less than 30-40 minutes, there will be times over the next few months when waiting times will rise to between 60 and 90 minutes.”
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He also gave an update on the Airport’s current recruitment process and how it plans to deal with the staff shortages in the short term, explaining that: “We are busy recruiting new officers and taking them through the rigorous training and testing needed to work in aviation security and while these vetting processes are rightly demanding, they have made it more difficult for us to recruit the people we need, with more than half of those we offer jobs to finding another vacancy before the process is complete.
“But the response has been positive.
“We have interviewed more than 4,000 people over the last two months, many have already started in the operation, and more than 200 people are currently going through the security checks that are needed before they can start training.
“We expect around 250 new security staff to start in the operation by early May.”
Having resigned to the fact that delays will continue, Manchester Airport has now issued advice to those travelling over the coming months so that people can prepare for the situation as they find it.
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“We understand that people will feel anxious about missing their flights,” Charlie Cornish explained.
“So for now, we are advising passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight leaves, to allow enough time to check-in, get through security and reach the departure gate. If passengers follow that advice, and allow more time than normal, we are confident they will get away on their travels.”
While we are advising passengers to expect longer queues than usual as we continue our recruitment drive, I also want to be clear that a huge amount of work is going into improving the situation in the short-term,” Charlie Cornish concluded in his statement.
“Our focus for the next four weeks is on delivering a more predictable and reliable level of service for passengers.”
Featured Image – MAG
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Michelin-recommended rooftop restaurant Climat has closed its doors with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s top-rated restaurants has announced its shock and immediate closure.
Climat, which is set way up high in Blackfriars House with staggering views of Manchester city centre, has said that the Michelin-recommended restaurant is now permanently closed.
In a heartbreaking statement, founder Christopher Laidler said that Climat is ‘yet another casualty of the times we’re living in’.
Laying out the brutal reality of running a hospitality business, Chris wrote about ‘rampant food inflation’, an ‘ever-increasing tax burden’, and ‘the persistent cost of living crisis’, describing it as a perfect storm against hospitality.
Then delving deeper into the numbers, he shared that Climat has faced an eye-watering £112,000 electricity bill for its first 13 months in business – that’s 400% more than they’d budgeted.
That was chased by a 33% increase in staff wages, then a jump in business rates from £12,000 a year to £38,000 a year.
Couple that with reduced footfall and it’s ‘spelling disaster for so many’.
Climat has closed its doors with immediate effectClimat has laid their finances bare in their closing statement
He wrote: “Whilst I wanted to highlight these reasons for closure, in the naive hope the Government will start to listen before it’s too late for others, I want to acknowledge the fantastic work of our team over the last 3.5 years.
“The closure does not do justice to their efforts and dedication. I’d also like extend a huge debt of gratitude to our guests for their support, enabling us to build a nationally recognised wine list – our raison d’être.”
Signing off, he said: “I wish everyone the very best of luck in these challenging times. Bye for now, Christopher.”
Climat opened in late 2022, with an impressive wine list and a beautiful restaurant space overlooking Manchester.
It didn’t take long before it was added to the Michelin Guide, which wrote: “An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
Emily Sergeant -
8th April 2022 
