The new boss at Manchester Airport has admitted there’s no quick-fix to ongoing issues – but said things are “considerably better” than they were earlier this year.
The UK’s third largest airport announced last month that Chris Woodroofe had been appointed managing director after former MD Karen Smart stepped down from the role back in early April 2022 to return to the south of England and “pursue fresh career opportunities”.
And now, Mr Woodroofe has spoken out for the first time since his appointment to give an insight into the current situation at the airport.
He has broken his silence and spoken out after what has been scenes of chaos for travellers over the last few months, with long delays, unplanned flight cancellations, and queues so long that many were required to turn up hours in advance and even then still miss their flights in the most unfortunate cases.
Speaking to both BBC Breakfast and ITV Granada this past weekend, Mr Woodroofe acknowledged that customers had suffered a “poor” experience in 2022, but unfortunately admitted that peak-time queues would continue over the coming months.
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He did however vow to “get passengers on their way” this summer holiday season.
The new boss at Manchester Airport has said things are “considerably better” than they were earlier this year / Credit: Manchester Airport
“It’s not going to be as good as we want it to be, it’s not going to be as good as it was in 2019 but what it will be is considerably better than it was three or four weeks ago,” he told ITV Granada.
“The big issues of earlier this year are behind us.
“Are we in a position to say it’s going to be like it was in 2019? No, there are still going to be difficult periods, we are still on a recruitment ramp-up and as a result security officers are going to be fairly new and they are still finding their feet but you can see the positive steps in the right direction.”
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He added that the airport was “looking to rebuild”, and told BBC Breakfast that it would aim to return to the standards seen in 2019 by the autumn.
Mr Woodroofe did however say that, despite these admissions, the vast majority of passengers travelling through the airport this summer are going to have a “reasonable experience”, but reiterated that people should still turn up no earlier than and no later than three hours ahead of their scheduled flight.
Chris Woodroofe – who is originally from Widnes – was previously the chief operating officer at London Gatwick Airport from 2016-2020, where he most-notably oversaw “a major programme of operational improvements” at the airport.
He held a number of senior roles there prior to that, including in customer service, security, and engineering.
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Mr Woodroofe officially started in his new role at Manchester Airport on 15 June.
Since taking on his new role, Mr Woodroofe said his priority is to get people on holiday without having lots of cancellations, adding: “I’m sure we’ve all done what we can to line ourselves up to get everyone on their way.
“It won’t be the perfect experience that I would have liked it to have been, but it will be an awful lot better than it was earlier this year.”
Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free on the NHS at high street pharmacies
Emily Sergeant
Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free of charge on the NHS in high street pharmacies across England.
As part of a major expansion of pharmacy services announced by the NHS in what is said to be the biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s, the oral emergency contraception pill is now available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies across the country without needing to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic.
The initiative is part of a wider package of support for community pharmacies, helping people to get the care they need in ‘convenient’ and ‘familiar’ settings.
Dr Sue Mann, who is an NHS National Clinical Director in Women’s Health called this move a ‘game-changer’ in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women.
“Instead of trying to search for women’s services or explain their needs, from today women can just pop into their local pharmacy and get the oral emergency contraceptive pill free of charge without needing to make an appointment,” she added.
From today, women in England can get the emergency contraceptive pill for free from pharmacies, without needing a GP appointment.
This is part of ongoing work to expand NHS services through community pharmacies.
Free morning after pills aren’t the only change to pharmacies’ services this week, as people who have been newly prescribed antidepressants will also be able to seek additional advice and support about their medication and healthy lifestyle changes from their local pharmacist too.
As well as over-the-counter support and treatment for minor health concerns, community pharmacy services can also supply medicines to treat common conditions.
All of these changes follow a record funding boost by the Government to pharmacies of £617 million over two years, which is supported by Community Pharmacy England.
“This is a major step forward that removes barriers of access to reproductive care that have let women down for too long,” commented Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock.
“Pharmacies play a central role in communities, trusted by local people and easy to access [and] that’s why it’s vital there are a wide range of services and medications available.
“These changes will make it easier for people to get the advice and medications they need, while also reducing unnecessary pressure on GPs.”
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Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
Emily Sergeant -
4th July 2022 
