Manchester Airport 's CEO Charlie Cornish has issued a statement today addressing the disruption, explaining some of the key factors causing the chaos as he apologised to holidaymakers.
Passengers have been facing some chaotic scenes this week with huge queues and delays after Covid has caused staff shortages at the terminal.
At the start of the week some holidaymakers reported facing waits of up to four hours, and local council workers were brought in to try and help manage the havoc.
Meanwhile airlines including easyJet and BA have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights, after also being hit by staff shortages because of Covid.
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Mr Cornish listed staff shortages caused by Covid, and the sudden influx of holidaymakers as the main reasons why the airport has struggled to cope over the peak Easter holidays period.
Putting it bluntly, Mr Cornish said: "The simple fact is that we don’t currently have the number of staff we need to provide the level of service that our passengers deserve."
It's estimated that demand from British holidaymakers has returned to over 70% of pre-Covid levels, but that due to the impact of Covid - including staff redundancies - the airport wasn't able to keep up with the influx.
He suggested that there would be some form of disruption for the next couple of months, as he went on to explain "what people can expect in the next month or two".
During the disruption, Brits have been urged to arrive at their airport as early as their airline allows. Mr Cornish echoed the sentiment, although he specified that passengers travelling from Manchester Airport should aim to arrive at least three hours before their flight, in order to allow for delays at check-in and airport security.
The airport is also currently looking to boost recruitment, and expects to have approximately 250 new members of security staff in operation by early May. Extra staff will also be deployed on days where there are larger queues.
Manchester was one of the top 10 UK airports worst hit by cancellations. In fact, over 1,143 flights were cancelled in the space of a week according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium - a 480% increase based on same period pre-pandemic.
(If you're due to fly, we've got guides on how to check if your flight is cancelled as well as your refund rights if you're affected).
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, commented: "This is a staggering level of flight cancellations caused by a cocktail of not having enough staff in place and Covid-induced staff shortages. Airlines are certainly seeing a high level of demand to fly, but are simply unable to cope with that demand due to a lack of resources. It’s a nightmare situation for airlines and airports at the moment."
Have you been affected by the delays or cancellations? Email us on webtravel@trinitymirror.com.
