Manchester Airport has repeated its advice to passengers to arrive three hours before their flights as the school summer holidays get underway.
It said that passengers arriving earlier or later than three hours could create problems for the 3.5 million people due to travel through the UK’s third biggest airport this summer.
“Arriving earlier [than three hours] means you may end up creating an unnecessary queue as check in or security might not be open, or you could end up being in front of people who have flights departing earlier than yourself,” it said.
The airport, which was thrown into chaos at the start of the summer when staff shortages meant it was unable to cope with the volume of traffic, says it has recruited more than 600 extra personal since the start of the year ‘to ensure it can operate all of its airlines’ planned schedules this summer’.
It says that in July, 92% of passengers passed through security in less than 30 minutes, which was a marked improvement on previous months. Last week, more than 75% got through in less than 15 minutes, it said.
Chief Operating Officer Ian Costigan added: “We have made huge progress since April, having seen 600 people start work in security since the beginning of the year, with a further 280 waiting to clear background checks and start.
“And we are pleased to report that, as staff numbers have grown, the experience provided to the vast majority of our passengers has improved.
“Throughout July, more than 92% of people got through security in under 30 minutes. We were particularly pleased to see that in the last seven days, more than 95% passed through in under 30 minutes, and nearly three-quarters in under 15 minutes.
“This last week, we have seen more than 95% of passengers pass through security in under 30 minutes and throughout July so far, almost three quarters of passengers have got through in under 15 minutes.
“We are also working closely with third parties across the airport to support their operations.
“As our recruitment continues and more people join the operation, by the autumn we should be back to an improved experience that people are looking for from Manchester Airport, and in a much better place for summer 2023.
“I would like to thank all our passengers for choosing Manchester and wish them all a great summer holiday. I would also like to thank the entire staff that work across Manchester Airport who are playing their part in our recovery, and getting our passengers back to travelling, following the biggest crisis our industry has ever faced.”
