The new managing director of Manchester Airport has admitted that they are working to address the current issues but are "not there yet".
Chris Woodroofe took over as managing director less than two weeks ago after Karen Smart quit in April, following a backlash over long passenger queues, staff shortages and calls from city leaders for management to 'get a grip' of the crisis.
In recent weeks, problems have continued, with passengers still being asked to arrive three hours before their flight and reports of huge security lines. Other horror stories include missing baggage, police rescues after flights failed to take off and thousands of passenger trips cancelled by text message.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning (Saturday July 2) Mr Woodroofe admitted that passengers this summer "won't have the sort of experience they had in 2019" but he claimed that Manchester Airport is "getting there" in addressing the current issues.
"What I've seen at Manchester Airport is an enormous effort," he said. "They've thrown everything at the recruitment process to rebuild and we are getting there but we're not there yet.
"Passengers won't have the sort of experience they had in 2019 this summer but my priority is to get them on their way so that they get to have their holidays."
Originally from Widnes in Cheshire, Mr Woodroofe, an engineer by trade, was chief operating officer at London Gatwick from 2016 to 2020. His most recent role was at Chevron Traffic Management, where he had overall responsibility for operational performance and driving growth.
In an interview with the Manchester Evening News yesterday, he praised the airport staff for how they have handled the ongoing problems. He said: “I would like to say how grateful I am and we are to all of the staff, the frontline teams in particular, their efforts in this period.
"They are the ones on the frontline, they are the people who are engaging with passengers who have been in queues that nobody wanted them to be in. I went down to a security lane on Wednesday afternoon to lend a hand.
“I hope they get the sense from me that I am just wanting to help them have a better day. You bring in more security officers, bring the queues down then the security officers have a better day and it’s like this virtuous circle."
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