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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Manchester Airport to host big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of careers are set for take-off, as Manchester Airport’s popular jobs fair is returning early next month.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns and operates Manchester Airport as well as East Midlands and London Stansted Airports, is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and for its first jobs fair of the year is promoting vacancies in areas like airport security, lounge hospitalitylmand terminal operations, as well as other roles on offer with third-party employers based at the airport.
Some of these roles range from airline support and check‑in, to airside operations, logistics and ground handling, retail, and special assistance services for passengers with restricted mobility.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about a career at the airport by speaking to employers operating on-site.
More than 500 roles will be advertised at the event, and more than 20 leading employers will be represented.
Manchester Airport is hosting a big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer / Credit: MAG
Running from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 3 March at Wythenshawe Forum, some of the other employers who will be represented at the fair include retailers and franchise operators like Boots, Costa Coffee, JD Wetherspoon, WHSmith, Pasta Evangelists, Monsoon, HMSHost SSP, and World Duty Free, as well as airport service providers like PrimeFlight, 36T HUB, Mitie, Swissport and ABM.
The Airport Academy, which is run in partnership by Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group, will also be in attendance on the day to promote its free pre-employment support programmes and fully accredited training schemes.
Jobseekers who secure a role within MAG can take advantage of a wide range of benefits during their employment.
These include discounts on public transport when travelling to work, free on-site car parking whilst working and when going on holiday, an excellent pension scheme, training programmes, retail discounts, and many more.
There’ll also be a wide range of third-party employers present at the event / Credit: MAG
“We’re proud to serve the North, not just by flying people to the places they want to travel to, but by helping local people find their way into rewarding and fulfilling careers,” commented Tina Edwards, who is the People Director at Manchester Airport.
“The airport directly employs more than 3,400 people and indirectly supports almost 20,000 jobs, so we’re a major contributor to the local economy and our ambitious growth plans mean we’re always looking for more talented people to join our teams. The same is true of our fantastic partners who are represented at this jobs fair.
“It’s an exciting time to be embarking on a career at Manchester Airport as our £1.3bn, decade-long expansion programme wraps up this year, giving us the platform to realise our potential as a truly global hub.”
Manchester Airport’s spring careers fair is free for all to attend, but you’ll need to book your ticket online first here.
Featured Image – MAG
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‘Ambitious’ new plans to tackle fly-tipping and litter across Manchester revealed
Emily Sergeant
An ambitious new plan to tackle flytipping and litter across Manchester has been revealed.
Developed with extensive input from residents, partners, businesses, and schools all across the borough, Manchester City Council has this week unveiled and formally approved the Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy as a long‑term plan to significantly reduce the improper disposal of waste and its drain on public money, all while improving neighbourhood cleanliness across the city.
The strategy sets out a framework over nine years, backed by targeted enforcement, service improvements, and behaviour‑change campaigns to drive significant impact for thousands of Mancs.
As it stands, the Council removes litter as part of its scheduled services – with 6,563 reports responded to and 11,952 fines issued in 2024-25 – but is having to take things up a notch due to a consistent rise in littering incidents, as well as the ever-present issue of fly-tipping.
‘Ambitious’ new plans to tackle fly-tipping and litter across Manchester have been revealed / Credit: oatsy40 (via Flickr)
Nationally, England saw 1.15 million incidents of flytipping in 2023/24, with household waste accounting for more than 60% of cases, while here in Manchester, the city recorded a whopping 14,963 fly‑tipping incidents in 2024/25.
According to the Council, fly-tipping in Manchester usually occurs on roads and pavements (59%), and alleyways (22%).
The Council’s new Fly-tipping and Litter Strategy will be formally launched next month to coincide with the beginning of the Great British Spring Clean, and is hoped to signal a commitment to creating ‘cleaner, safer, and greener’ neighbourhoods for everyone.
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“The Fly-Tipping and Litter Strategy is a significant step towards improving the long-term health of Manchester’s communities,” explained Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who is the Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council, as the plans were unveiled this week.
“We recognised how important it is to hear from residents, people who live and work in the city, themselves and so we have developed this strategy in close consultation through their lived experiences and advice.
“While we already have key initiatives we work under, in addition to several other strategies and projects, this new strategy sets to galvanise and advance the work our services and communities are doing to ensure Manchester becomes cleaner and greener for everyone.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th April 2022 
