Manchester Airport is welcoming staff back from furlough after what bosses have described as a 'heartbreaking' 18 months.
The travel hub was forced to make a number of job redundancies and cut workers wages, as the pandemic saw passenger levels dropping as low as 5 per cent of usual numbers.
But following the simplification of to the government's traffic light system, announced last month, passenger bookings have soared, according to managing director Karen Smart.
READ MORE: Outgoing Manchester leader Sir Richard Lees lands top job
It was confirmed last week that more destinations would be removed from the 'red list' and that PCR tests will no longer be required for those returning to the country by the end of the month.
"Our excitement is two-fold because we have been able to welcome back so many of our colleagues, who have spent time on furlough over the past 18 months or so," Ms Smart said.
"Being able to bring them back just at the time we will start to see travel resume in earnest feels extra special."
Hundreds of airport staff lost their jobs during the height of the pandemic, with more than 1,500 jobs cut by external contractors.
A 10 per cent pay cut was also issued across the board, as ever changing travel restrictions led to plummeting passenger numbers.
Now, as the UK and parts of the world begin to return to a more 'normal' way of living, Manchester Airport say they have been able to resume travel to a number of popular destinations.
These include the return of longstanding carriers such as Singapore Airline and Cathay Pacific, which both connect the North of England with the Far East and beyond.
Middle Eastern carriers are now also offering a range of flights from Manchester to the UAE, Doha, and beyond, with Ethiopian Airlines resuming flights to Africa.
By the end of the year, bosses say they will be able to offer a number of direct connections back to the USA.
And today it was announced that direct flights from Manchester Airport to Canada will resume for the first time since the start of the pandemic - from next Wednesday (20 October).
Air Transat confirmed plans to reintroduce its Toronto service, with weekly flights operating from Terminal One at the Northern hub.
"The states is one our most important markets, with more than 1.6m passengers from our catchment travelling there each year pre-Covid from Manchester Airport," Ms Smart said.
"Not only are these links great from a leisure and tourism point of view, but they are also vital as we connect the North to key global powerhouses for trade and investment opportunities."
Airport bosses said one of the 'strangest' aspects of the past 18 months was the opening of the new Terminal Two extension, which was revealed to the public in July - a year later than planned.
Only three flights and a few hundred passengers were able to be present for the new terminal's unveiling.
Although mostly all coronavirus restrictions in England have now been scrapped, airport bosses say that Covid-safety remains one of their top priorities for customers.
"We want customers to be excited to be travelling again, but feeling safe at all times," Ms Smart said.
"That is why we were one of the first airports to implement a range of safety measures including enhanced cleaning, mandatory face coverings, Perspex screens and only travelling passengers allowed in the terminal."
Airport bosses say that it will be at least until 2024 before they see a return to pre-Covid passenger numbers, but plan to offer more routes in the months ahead.
"Looking ahead as we continue to recover, we can still go further, and so in the New Year we’ll be calling on the government to further simplify the travel system, so that international travel can start to feel as it was before the pandemic," Ms Smart said.
"We are hoping for many more new routes in the weeks and months ahead, ensuring we continue to connect the North to key global destinations.
"I’d like to thank all our customers and partners for their commitment and understanding during the pandemic and would like to assure them that we have stringent safety measures in place, meaning they can travel with peace of mind wherever they are jetting off to from Manchester Airport."
