Manchester Airport has published an update for travellers this week – as airlines add flights to destinations and more retailers reopen their doors.
The latest announcement confirms a number of routes are being added to the schedule during what would ordinarily be the airport’s busiest month of the year.
From this week, easyJet will start flying to Kefalonia (Greece), Funchal (Portugal), Olbia (Sardinia) and Tivat (Montenegro), whilst Aegean Airlines will resume flights to Athens (Greece).
TAP Air Portugal will also resume travel to Lisbon.
TUI, meanwhile, is set to operate flights to Bodrum (Turkey), Chania (Greece), Santorini and the Greek island of Skiathos later this week.
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Spain remains on the quarantine list, with arrivals having to self-isolate for two weeks upon their return.
This weekend sees more airlines move back to Terminal Two. This handy graphics explains them all. Note not all have flights from the 1st August, but that's when their operations move across. pic.twitter.com/pe0tSfVhYO
All three terminals are now in operation at the airport, with Eurowings, Air Malta, Ethiopian Airlines and Brussels Airlines moving to Terminal Two last week.
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Etihad Airways and Iran Air are shifting to Terminal Two on 5 August and 8 August respectively.
A number of retailers are also set to reopen across the airport this week, including:
Terminal One – Jo Malone/Bobbi Brown – airside – 4 August
Terminal One – Upper Crust – airside – w/c 3 August
Terminal One – Direct Dry Cleaning – landside – 4 August
Terminal One – Attitude – airside – 8 August
Terminal Two – Boots – airside – 8 August
Terminal Three – WH Smiths – landside (arrivals) – 4 August
Next week will see the return of the following Terminal One outlets:
Karen Smart, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said: “As we continue to see the return of more airlines and destinations for our passengers to fly to, we remain fully committed to ensuring their safety throughout their airport journey.
“In what would normally be our busiest month of the year, it is pleasing to see routes are increasing each week, giving passengers who want to travel the choice and opportunity to do so. This is why we now have all three terminals in operation, to allow passengers to maintain and keep a safe distance whilst on site.
“I’d like to thank all our passengers for continuing to abide by the measures in place during these uncertain times, and also thank all our staff who have gone above and beyond to ensure safe travel for all.”
Strict safety measures remain in place at the airport, including social distancing, temperature checks and the requirement of face coverings when passing through terminals.
Find out more about the restrictions and rules in place at Manchester Airport during coronavirus by visiting their website.
You can learn more about new flights and retailer reopenings online.
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
The Manc -
5th August 2020 
