Manchester Airport Consultative Committee (MACC) - Minutes

[Scottie Dog]

The full Committee meets quarterly, next meetings are listed below:

• Friday 21st January 2022
• Friday 29th April 2022
• Friday 15th July 2022
• Friday 14th October 2022
• Friday 20th January 2023
• Friday 28th April 2023

 

[Scottie Dog]

If anybody would like to attend the meeting on this coming Friday at 10am please drop me a PM.

The meeting is being held face-to-face but with a video link via Teams - we are permitted to attend as observers but with to right to make any comment.

I'll send the link in response to any PM.

 

[LS@MAN]

Are the MoM available for yesterday’s meeting?

It would be interesting to see what was said, especially with regards to current recruitment…

 

[Scottie Dog]

I've been away for a few days but will email documents over the next 24 hours.

 

[LS@MAN]

I've been away for a few days but will email documents over the next 24 hours.

Thank you @Scottie Dog as always

 

[Scottie Dog]

Next meeting of the MACC is this Friday 14th October at 10am.
If anybody would like to attend via a virtual link then please send me a PM with your email address and I'll endeavour to send you the link.
Please note that I'm due to go for surgery later this morning and any reply to your request will be subject to my health.
Scottie Dog

 

[Land23R]

All the Best Scottie. Hope all goes well.

 

[marni1971]

All the Best Scottie. Hope all goes well.

Ditto @Scottie Dog

 

[Scottie Dog]

Thank you for your kind words I'm home now and hope to be online for tomorrow's meeting. I must try to read the committee notes before then but, for now, sleep calls.

 

[LS@MAN]

Good Evening All,
Did the latest MACC meeting take place on 20th Jan?

 

[Scottie Dog]

Yes it did but I was unable to attend in person, or online.

 

[LS@MAN]

I was hoping to attend the MACC on Friday but unfortunately had to change my plans.
Did anyone on here attend or have any info from the meeting?
Thanks

 

[Scottie Dog]

I attended the meeting in a virtual sense - please check your emails in the morning.

 

[Scottie Dog]

The next meeting of the MACC will be held this coming Friday, 14th July, at the Hilton Manchester Airport, at 10am.

The meeting is open to the public, however I would ask that you send me a private message if you plan to attend. I can then let the committee secretary know to expect you.

Many thanks

 

[laviation]

I wonder if we’ll get a little section in the minutes to the route development news, as was featured in all minutes pre-COVID?

 

[Scottie Dog]

Apologies for the delay in responding to your post of 9th.

As soon as the meeting is over I will attempt to post as many relevant documents as I can, however my time, at present, is very rather constrained as I have my sister arriving from Vancouver on Friday morning and then we travel up to Scotland for a week.

 

[Scottie Dog]

Slightly belatedly, as are most of my posts at present, here is the report from Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, at the meeting held on Friday 14th July.

Manchester Airport Consultative Committee
Meeting Date – 14th July 2023
REPORT OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR

1. INTRODUCTION
As you will read throughout this report, operational performance has been positive over the last quarter. June
saw our busiest day since September 2019, with 100,061 passengers using Manchester Airport. Many of these
passengers were Manchester City supporters travelling to Istanbul for the Champions League Final, which
included an additional 40 flights. Overall, May saw 2,505,177 passengers – an increase of 15.5% compared to
May 2022. This included half term and the Eurovision Song Contest, with the airport hosting delegations from 23
different countries.
The most popular destination in May was Palma followed by Alicante and Amsterdam, with April’s most popular
destination, Dubai, coming in fourth.
Despite the increase in traffic, security queuing times remained low with 96.6% of passengers getting through
into the departure lounge in 15 minutes or less in May.
From a routes point of view, we were pleased to announce Virgin Atlantic’s resumption of their service to Las
Vegas, which will fly from June 2nd, 2024. EgyptAir have also announced five-times-weekly flights from
Manchester to Cairo from 15th July, meaning Manchester will offer direct connection to Egypt’s capital for the
first time since 2015.
Since our last meeting, we are pleased to have commenced work on the construction of a new pier, which will
connect to Terminal 2. This is the most significant new structure being built in the final phase of the airport’s
£1.3bn Transformation Programme. This will provide 12 new spacious boarding gates and flexible aircraft stands
for next-generation aircraft.
We also passed a major milestone with the Community Trust Fund surpassing £4m of donations. Members may
have also seen activity celebrating the 85th anniversary of the airport. This includes the reincarnation of one of
the old Terminal 1 chandeliers, which will be moved to Terminal 2. We are also pleased to be supporting this
year’s Manchester Day as part of the celebrations.
Our focus remains on ensuring passengers can travel through Manchester Airport in the peak of the summer
season confident that they will have a smooth and efficient experience.

2. GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY
Political Engagement: In the last quarter, we have met with several different politicians on a wide range of issues,
including: HS2 (due to the Greater Manchester committee hearings), long haul connectivity and the promotion
of the Community Trust Fund. This has included meetings or attending events with:
• Mike Kane (Shadow Aviation Minister and Wythenshawe and Sale East)
• Andrew Western (Stretford and Urmston)
• Jonathan Reynolds (Shadow Business Secretary)
• Andy Carter (Warrington South)
• Chris Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton)

• Christian Wakeford (Bury South)
• Iain Stewart (Chair of the Transport Select Committee)
• Jeff Smith (Shadow Tourism Minister and Manchester Withington)
• Navendu Mishra (Stockport)
• Rachel Reeves (Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer)
• Gareth Thomas (Harrow West)
• Lord Goddard of Stockport
The next quarter in terms of political engagement will mostly be focused on the political party conferences taking
place in October, where we will be promoting Manchester Airport’s economic impact.
Sustainability: The Committee on Climate Change published their latest biennial progress report to Parliament.
We continue to remain resolute in meeting our goal of net zero operations by 2038. We continue to push the
sector to meet its 2050 goal. The Sustainable Aviation Decarbonisation Roadmap has been updated and this
confirmed that the higher level of growth forecast by the Government is compatible with net zero emissions by
2050. In the past quarter, we have had meetings with Fulcrum Bioenergy (who will provide sustainable aviation
fuel directly to the airport), the North West Hydrogen Alliance and the North West Business Leadership Team
about the importance of making progress on our journey towards net zero.
HS2 and surface access: Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester were in front of the HS2
Bill Committee earlier this month, and we continue to ensure the airport’s voice is represented in this debate.
We have been working collaboratively with both organisations and Andy Clarke (Head of Corporate Affairs) spoke
at two events on the importance of HS2, ran by Pro-Manchester and Northern Powerhouse Partnership. We are
continuing to negotiate with HS2 on our own concerns, but do not have a substantive update to share with
members on this occasion. More widely on surface access, we continue to sit as part of the Bee Network
Partnership Board and meet with Vernon Everitt (Greater Manchester Transport Commissioner) and his team to
discuss how the airport can form part of this broader network.
Route Development: We held an event where several northern Destination Marketing Organisations and some
of our closest partners, such as Marketing Manchester, MIDAS and other businesses across the North with
representation from Cheshire, Peak District, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria and Yorkshire. This event was
focused on demonstrating: the progress that the airport operation has made, highlighting our plans to recover
some of the routes yet to resume since the pandemic and how the impact of these routes is felt across the North.
From a political and business engagement perspective, we have focused this quarter on the importance of US
route recovery, and this has seen us work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Department for
Business and Trade and the British American Business Network.
Economic and social contribution of the airport: We have commissioned a report with ARUP which explore the
role of Manchester Airport in supporting economies and communities across the North. The study will bring
together a compelling narrative and evidence-led story on the impact the airport provides locally, regionally and
nationally. It will also consider how Government can support the airport and how we can drive increased
prosperity. The report is due to be complete in September and we will bring an update to members at the next
available opportunity.
NASSCOM: We recently signed a memorandum of understanding with NASSCOM, an Indian trade association.
This will promote innovation, investment and technological exchange between Greater Manchester and India. It
will provide small Indian technology companies with access to office space at the airport. This is an important
next step in the support we provide the Manchester India Partnership and builds a base of businesses who will
encourage the return of Indian routes.

3. PLANNING MATTERS
Changes to the Planning System. Responses were submitted to consultation on changes to planning
application fees and extensions to permitted development rights. In respect of the increases to planning fees,
our response stated that we accepted the increase provided the proposed outcomes were delivered. This
would include increasing the level of funding available to local authority planning departments to improve their
performance levels. With the increase in permitted development rights for solar installations, we were clear
that aerodrome safeguarding concerns still needed to be considered and therefore proposed that any
extensions to permitted rights should be subject to prior approval.
Places for Everyone – The examination process has now concluded. In respect of the airport, the inspectors
examined ‘Policy JP Strat 10 Manchester Airport’ at a session on 25th November, Policy JPA 3.2 Timperley
Wedge on 18th January and Policy JPA10 Global Logistics 2 on 2nd March. Transcripts of the sessions are
available to view on the examination’s website, www.hwa.uk.com/projects/gmca. Since the last meeting the
Examination Inspectors have issued an ‘Action Note’ in respect of the Global Logistics allocation, which
recommends modifications that they believe need to be made to make the plan sound and legally compliant.
They have recommended that the allocation be withdrawn from the Plan. We await the response from the
Combined Authority and Manchester City Council.
Airport or near Airport developments
• A planning application to carry out amendments to Terminal 3 to accommodate new security screening
equipment (which is incapable of being accommodated within the existing building footprint) has been
submitted.
• Airport City North: the 412 room Accor Tribe Hotel on land to the rear of the Station and Voyager
officer building has ‘topped out’, with completion expected prior to summer season 2024.
• A planning application for a 216-bedroom extension to the Clayton Hotel has been lodged. Its design,
form and massing are to match the previous extension that was built in 2005/6.
• CTI proposals to redevelop sheds and facilities at World Freight Terminal continue at pace. The first
two schemes to redevelop the former LSG Sky Chefs building (Building 401) and the adjacent building
to provide two terraces of logistics units are nearing completion (131892/FO/2021 and
133390/FO/2022). A planning application for the redevelopment of the existing units on either side of
Argosy Drive to provide three terraces of logistics units is currently with Manchester City Council for
determination (MCC Planning reference: 134103/FO/2022). Finally, a planning application to redevelop
the site of Hangar 4 for an airport-related freight and logistics unit has been made (136879/FO/2023).
• A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the former Ferranti site for
approximately 360,000 sq.ft of logistics floorspace (MCC reference 135952/FO/2023). The decision on
this is outstanding.

4. MANCHESTER AIRPORT TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME (MAN-TP)
The MAN-TP team celebrated the ground-breaking of Pier 2, the largest piece of new infrastructure being built
as part of phase two of the programme. Over the past few months, the site compound has been erected, and
the first ground works have now commenced. Modern construction methodology is being used to speed up
delivery and reduce embodied carbon. Core components of the new pier will be prefabricated off-site to
achieve these time savings. The site will be turned into a landside environment in the coming weeks to make it
easier and quicker to construct on site.

Furthermore, demolition of the former departure lounge and security halls is progressing well, and once
complete, steel will be installed ahead of constructing the additional floor levels.
In the original Arrivals Hall, works are ongoing behind hoarding to demolish the redundant retail units and the
former Ground Level check-in will be removed in the coming weeks.
Finally, in relation to the baggage works package, the East Pier arrivals corridor has now been refurbished. This
matches the look and feel of the extension. A new substation is nearing completion, which will provide power
for the extended baggage system and terminal. Three new CTX screening machines have been installed and
completed commissioning, along with two sorters being installed and commissioned.

5. OPERATIONAL DATA
On Time Performance (OTP)
Departure on-time performance depends on several factors including weather, airfield operations and technical
issues. Monthly performance for the past financial year across all flight types was:
View attachment 28860

6. OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT – ROUTES AND SERVICES UPDATE
During the quarter, 7.47m passengers travelled through Manchester Airport. This is 94% of 2019 levels and an
increase of 15% compared to 2022.
This translates to 91% of 2019 levels in April, 95% in May and 95% in June. This recovery was largely driven by
low-cost carriers, who continued to grow capacity ahead of their full service carriers competitors, in line with

the recovery of short haul markets outpacing long haul. Despite the above trend, there were a number of long-
haul carriers that achieved passenger volumes significantly above pre-Covid levels in the quarter, including

Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
There have been a number of developments for our network, including:
• Virgin Atlantic announced on 1st June that they would relaunch their seasonal summer service to Las
Vegas from June 2024, operating the route three times weekly with an A350. They also recommenced
their Manchester – Atlanta flights from June 2023.
• Egypt Air confirmed in May that they received permission from the CAA to operate from Manchester
and will launch a five times weekly service to Cairo from July.
• Air Canada operating a five times weekly A330 service to Toronto through the summer.
• Ethiopian Airlines increased their Addis Ababa (via Geneva) service from four to five weekly in June,
representing their largest ever programme from Manchester.
• Norwegian launched a new three times weekly Manchester – Copenhagen service in June.
• In April, Gulf Air announced a doubling of their frequency from May and the carrier now offers four
weekly flights to Bahrain.
• In May, Air Transat add an additional frequency to Toronto to bring their schedule up to four a week,
which will increase to six by August.
• SunExpress also added significant capacity to Turkish leisure destinations in June as their full summer
programme came into effect.
• In June, Ryanair announced they would start to fly to Tirana (Albania) from the winter 2023 season.
• Unfortunately, Eastern confirmed in April that they would cease operations to Southampton until
September.

7. CAR PARKING & SURFACE ACCESS
Landside Operations
• For the period April 2023 - June 2023 vehicle movements across the three terminals were 704,206,
representing a 4% increase on the same period in 2022.
• The landside control room assisted 255,406 customers via our car park/forecourt intercoms during
April 23 – June 23, representing an 18% reduction on the same period in 2022.
• Recruitment activity for traffic marshals is now complete.
• Landside NPS continues to remain high when compared across the group, currently running at 50.1%.
Customer Transport
• Customer Transport continued to operate bus services for a range of car park products (both
customers and staff) and Car Rental Village landside. Demand continued to be robust across all
services.
• Volume recruitment was complete for bus drivers in May, with a focus on airside driver training
through the quarter to increase airside and landside drivers.
• One additional vehicle was delivered in early June, with a further seven scheduled for delivery in
July/August, completing the FY24 fleet requirements.
• Airside services have delivered the remote plan to schedule, with performance broadly stable at 95%
for the quarter.
• JetParks 3 extension, Jet Parks 1 and Jet Parks Ringway have all opened as planned. Further reviews
have been undertaken to maximise capacity as we move into the next quarter.
Car Parking:
• All car parks are averaging 98% occupancy during the peak periods of the quarter.

• Meet & Greet and Drop & Go car parks remain a popular choice with customers. NPS has been sustained
at a high level, with an overall score of 50.
• Recruitment activity was complete in May, with the operational plan to supplement our core plan with
agency staff to support peak periods in Meet & Greet/Drop & Go.
Rail:
• TransPennine Express (TPE): The Secretary of State for Transport brought TPE into the Operator of Last
Resort in May. This means TPE is now operating on the same basis as Northern, which was taken into
the operator of last resort in March 2020. A recovery plan is being put in place for TransPennine to try
to restore the poor service levels. Whilst there had not been a notable further deterioration in service,
the improvements promised were also not being delivered. TransPennine are continuing to operate a
reduced service, pre-cancelling services on a daily basis. There continues to be an amended temporary
timetable for routes to Scotland. We are working collaboratively with them to ensure the recovery plan
provides real improvements for our passengers and colleagues.
• Industrial action: This continues to affect the industry nationally and it has had an impact on airport
services. Between 3 and 8 July, ASLEF (train drivers) implemented a rest-day working and overtime ban
as part of their ongoing dispute over pay, which has affected TransPennine and Northern. RMT (train
guards) are striking again on 20, 22 and 29 July, meaning very limited services will operate, as per
previous strike days.
• TransPennine Route Upgrade: This programme continues, which will support service improvements
along the route into the airport. Ongoing engineering work results in rail service amendments and
replacement bus operations, typically at weekends. Late evening engineering works have been in place
from 3rd July, seeing replacement buses in operation on the Airport route (amongst others).
• Metrolink free travel: This offer for all rail ticket holders across Manchester city centre has ended.
Unless Manchester Central Zone (CTLZ) is the destination on the rail ticket, in which case Metrolink
services can continue to be used, passengers wishing to travel across the city centre will need to either
purchase a Zone 1 Metrolink ticket, use the Freebus services, take the Transpennine train between
Piccadilly and Victoria (1 per hour) or walk.
• Bus: We continue to work with TfGM to improve the bus services to the airport. The ongoing shortage
of drivers, however, is a major block to successful implementation. We have funded an additional
vehicle for the Local Link fleet, which will be available in July. At the same time, TfGM have increased
the catchment area for Local Link services to the airport.
• Coach: National Express continue to increase the number of services calling at the airport, with new
routes coming online in July.
8. MOBILITY SERVICES
PRM performance has been very strong throughout the quarter with all performance measures exceeding our
CAA targets, passing the CAA published threshold for a ‘Very Good’ rating. Despite May and June being our
busiest months of the year so far, performance remained strong in all targets.
ABM headcount has met new contractual levels from 1st April, which is a 40% increase in customer facing roles.
Despite already meeting headcount, ABM are continuing recruitment through the summer to stay ahead of
target in preparation for our next busy peak in September/October.

Three new ambulifts are due to arrive in July, meaning we will have our biggest ever fleet of ambulifts. In
addition, a further 60 wheelchairs have been delivered, contributing to improved service levels.
The CAA are due to publish their annual airport accessibility rating report in July. We have not been informed
of our rating, but we have worked closely with them over the last year.

9. STAFFING CHANGES

View attachment 28861

10. CUSTOMER INSIGHT & SECURITY ISSUES
Customer Feedback
During the reporting period, Manchester has seen an increase in feedback across the months with passenger
volumes increasing as we go into the summer season. The team received a total of 7,725 cases during the
reporting period, a considerable increase from 5,495 in the previous January to March period, and a decrease
from 10,698 during the same period last year. The data insights have been shared with the local teams to
facilitate improvements.

Social Media update for April - June:
Over the reporting period, our social media channels have seen 23,838 messages. Additionally, we welcomed
5,429 new followers across our social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn). The
sentiment analysis shows that the predominant sentiment was neutral, suggesting that we have been
maintaining a consistent brand image. We also launched several campaigns during this period including
Manchester Airport’s brand-new podcast series, MAN-TP Phase Two works commencing, and 85th birthday
content including a competition, which garnered significant attention on our channels.

View attachment 28862

11. COMMUNITY MATTERS
Outreach takes off
As part of our commitment to listen to local voices, Wythenshawe residents had the chance to talk to our
Community Engagement Team at the ‘Woodhouse Park Drop In’ event at the Lifestyle Centre. These sessions
are held in conjunction with ward councillors, council neighbourhood teams, police and Wythenshawe Housing
Group. Rogue parking and taxis waiting were the most predominant issues.
The Community Engagement Team also attended the Mobberley Rose Queen event and the Royal County
Cheshire Show to provide opportunities for members of the public raise any airport-related questions. They
also ventured to the NEST in Sharston to promote the Community Trust Fund at a charity celebration event,
where the team enjoyed meeting past grant recipients and potential future applicants. MAN Immigration By Channel



Neighbourhood issues
Following dialogue with a neighbouring Parish Council, some refreshed ‘considerate parking’ signage has been
installed in local hot spots.
Repairs have been undertaken to the surface at the entrance to the Private Hire Holding area (following
feedback from users) and revised welcome / directional signs have been commissioned. We have also
contributed financially to further street signage / way finding and these are awaiting installation by Manchester
City Council. These steps are being taken to aid our work in
reducing the incidence of nuisance taxis waiting near
residential areas.
Community Trust Fund (CTF)
At the April meeting of the CTF, 19 grants were approved
totalling £24,635.19. This meeting saw the Community
Trust Fund surpassing £4 million of donations to
community projects and local charities since it began in
1997.

Volunteering
Recently members of my leadership team
supported local neighbour Quarry Bank Mill by
spending an afternoon litter picking. This is an
important demonstration of leading by example
to ensure we meet our target of 100% of leaders
participating in volunteering.

New charity partners announced
We have relaunched MAG charity partnerships, ensuring we are making a difference to those who need it
most. This includes an ambitious target of raising more than £150,00 a year.

Manchester Airport Academy
The Airport Academy at Manchester Airport supports local residents into careers at Manchester Airport. The
team over the last quarter has organised 50 outreach events, including large scale jobs fairs and engaging with
airport employers to assess actual job opportunities. From April to June, the academy has: trained 81 people,
placed 56 into roles across the airport through employability training and converted 64% of people from
unemployed to employed. They have seen 360 Greater Manchester residents referred to them for support and
guidance.
Education / AeroZone
Since April 2023, 723 students have visited the AeroZone. The facility is fully booked for the remainder of the
current academic year and is 95% full for the next year running to July 2024.
Numbers at Work
Recognising the requirement for numeracy skills from a lot of employers, we are pleased to support BW3 and
other local employers in delivering this programme for children aged 10-11. Volunteers from the airport’s
Finance, Education and Public Affairs teams had a great time participating in this event at Peel Hall Primary
School and Manor Park Primary School this term. Sessions take place throughout the academic year.
Meet the Authors
We were pleased to launch a complementary book, made up of 14 stories and poems from nine different
schools, called the ‘Little Book of Travel Tales’. We invited the young authors to come and celebrate their work
and hand out the books to our young passengers ahead of their half term holiday.

Kids at Work Day
We hosted 60 children who were able to see where their parents and guardians work. This provided exposure
to the work environment, including a tour of the airfield, air traffic control tower and the runway, but allowed
colleagues to share their genuine passion for the aviation industry.

Aviation Apprenticeship scheme
Manchester Airport recently launched a first-of-its-kind apprenticeship scheme. The programme creates a new
route for future airport leaders to embark on a career in aviation. The two-year scheme will give students
experience of all the elements of an airport operation. Upon successful completion, apprentices will then be
offered permanent roles at the airport, with opportunities to progress into team-leader positions and beyond
as they develop through their careers.
Delivered in partnership with Trafford College, the apprenticeship will be the equivalent of a foundation degree
or the first year of an undergraduate degree, with at least 30 students completing the programme, debt-free.
Launching the scheme is one part of our Developing Talent strategy and a central part of the Opportunity for
All pillar in our CSR Strategy. Places on the maiden apprenticeship course have been initially offered exclusively
to anyone over the age of 18 in surrounding communities and promoted to local school sixth forms and
colleges, as part of the airport’s commitment to providing opportunities to those closest.
Supported Internship Programme
Six young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) celebrated graduating from Manchester
Airport’s supported internships programme earlier this month. The programme, run by Pure Innovations in
partnership with Manchester Airport and The Manchester College, runs for a year, during which interns are
supported to do three different placements around the airport. It gives young people who ordinarily might find
it difficult to gain employment the opportunity to have on-the-job training. Several of the graduates have
secured jobs at the airport with others taking jobs at external companies or considering offers.

12. FUTURE AIRSPACE
In Stage 3, we have a great deal of work to complete to build a network of route options that can work
together, safely and efficiently, to arrive and depart aircraft.
As we have outlined to members in previous communications and presentations, the current Manchester
Airport (MAN)/Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) air traffic interactions are managed through the tactical
intervention of Air Traffic Controllers at both airports. Through the Future Airspace project, we are seeking to
reduce such interventions by applying more systemisation to our operations. At a workshop last year, seven
interactions were identified between the MAN route options (we were at the time engaging upon) and the LPL
route options that they had consulted upon (in 2020). The shortlist of design options we carried through to
Stage 3, earlier this year, benefited from extensive engagement with stakeholders including the 2022
workshop. Therefore, we have some confidence that the basket of route options we submitted to the CAA
include sufficient flexibility to be compatible with proposals emerging from other (such as LPL) change sponsors
(in so far as they were known at the time).
LPL returned to Stage 2 of the CAP1616 earlier this year (they had progressed as far as Stage 4) and as a result
they have been able to engage with ourselves, and other stakeholders on additional options. We compiled and
sent a formal response on 31st May suggesting some further improvements. In June we held a design workshop
with LPL, NATS Enroute and ACOG. We were able to examine concepts to remove interactions before LPL
submit for their Stage 2 Gateway. Once the CAA are content with the LPL submission and they have progressed
to Stage 3 we will be able to continue this process. These pre-Stage 3 discussions will be formally detailed in a
process known as Cumulative Analysis Framework (CAF) which will examine and details any trade-offs in
design. We will keep Members updated as we progress further.

13. MANCHESTER AIRPORT IN THE NEWS
Key Announcements
• Key announcements made in Q2 included the appointment of Ken O’Toole as CEO of MAG, effective
from 1st October. The Manchester Airport press office played a supporting role, sharing a regionalised
version of the MAG press release with selected media.
• Two major announcements were made in relation to MANTP – the launch of a retail tender process for
27 new units in the refurbished part of the terminal, and groundbreaking on what will become
Terminal Two’s second pier. In both cases the Press Office issued press releases to regional and
selected trade outlets.
• We marked a successful Easter getaway with a press release highlighting improved operational
performance and set up regional radio interviews with Jennifer Byrne-Smith on the back of this.
• The airport found itself at the centre of two high-profile events in May and June – the Eurovision final,
held in Liverpool but facilitated by dozens of chartered flights into Manchester, and Man City’s
Champions League final victory in Istanbul. Both events attracted national media interest and we
hosted a range of broadcast media in Terminal Two who wished to speak to fans ahead of the
Champions League final, as well as working collaboratively with the wider comms team to lay on
supportive messages and graphics on FIDS screens, plus facilitating Man City’s media tam capturing
images of the first-team squad returning.

• May also saw the launch of the airport’s innovative Podcast series, Manchester: Your Airport, MAN.
The six-part series was recorded over March, April and early May, taking listeners behind the scenes,
and has already attracted several thousand subscribers.
CSR Activity
• In addition to providing support on the aforementioned launch of an apprenticeship scheme and the
Community Trust Fund £4m donations story, we collaborated with Mace on a volunteering project at
the not-for-profit Pendlebury Centre, supported by a photo op and a press release. We also issued a
press release in support of the airport’s Wythenshawe Forum jobs fair in April.
Route Promotion
We have worked with a number of airlines to promote route launches (mentioned above), relaunches or
expansions of existing services over Q2. Highlights included Hainan Airlines, who announced in April they would
be quadrupling the frequency of flights to Beijing; Virgin Atlantic, who revealed they would be bringing back a
direct Las Vegas service from next summer; Egypt Air, who bring back a Cairo service after an eight-year hiatus;
and EasyJet, who announced a new ski season service to Grenoble for this winter.
Reactive issues
The Press Office handled a total of 93 reactive media queries over the last quarter. May saw a number of
operational issues which drew regional and national media attention, including a power cut in Terminal Three,
a national e-gate outage at the border, and a baggage system failure in Terminal Three. Each of these attracted
a multitude of reactive media queries, but each seems to have been acknowledged in reporting as a one-off
issue in its own right, as opposed to being indicative of any wider problem, which bodes well for more balanced
reporting of any issues we may face over the busy summer.
We also saw a significant uptick in reporting around disruptive passenger incidents, with eight separate stories
concerning disruptive behaviour from passengers on flights into or out of Manchester, and each of these were
picked up by multiple outlets. Where necessary, we have pointed media queries in the direction of the Police
or the airline concerned.

 

[Scottie Dog]

You'll be pleased to know that I did, despite the adverse weather conditions, manage to get to the MACC meeting last Friday and it turned out to be rather fuller than I expected!!

Firstly Chris Woodroofe - the managing director - was in attendance and gave his address, based on the details in the notes that I will try to share later today. (I'm afraid I've got a few hospital appointments today that will delay access to the laptop, but I'm sure youll appreciate them later).
Anyway I did take the opportunity, as he left the meeting room, to have a quiet word with Chris. His reply with regards to USPBC, which had been proposed for Manchester before covid, is that it is a no-goer and he thinks that there were crossed-wires in the AUAG (Airport Users Advisory Group report. I must be honest and say that I found his approach to the meeting to be measured, in the same way as when he answered any questions that were put to him. Very definitely the MD that the airport needs at the present time.

Also the committee has a new chairman, Rachel Bailey who is a county councillor, and it was nice to be welcomed by her when I arrived and asked who I was etc. Rachel then said, rather quietly, and I didn't catch it fully, something about addressing the meeting. The upshot was that she said that she would like to hear from the 'observers' - there was another person in addition to myself - as to their views on the work done by the committee. So heyho, there was me addressing the room and feeling rather overwhelmed.

Another item raised by other members of the committee, in view of the cancellation of HS2 (or in CWs opinion the long-term delay), was whether the route for the originally proposed West Rail link, from the airport to Mobberley, would be protected. This will be looked into by Andy Clarke from the airport.

Okay, so here are some other notes that I made whilst CW was giving his address:

SQ - IAH was in doubt until late July due to problems with the system for "transfer" passengers. The old transfer system has now been turned on and will be improved - I seem to recall one of our F4A contributors saying that there was a special facility within T1 where transfer passengers were processed 'airside'. On a side note, I had approached a couple of SQ agents at checkin and enquired as to how Houston loads were doing and their response was quite positive.

The route development team are attending ROUTES WORLD CONFERENCE in Istanbul which started yesterday (15th October) and CW will be joining other senior directors in China when they will be looking to encourage Hainan to extend the frequency of their Beijing and also be talking to an airline to start Shanghai.

The final item mentioned was the resilience team which was introduced by CW after his arrival. This is a group of 100 employees who are normally employed on other jobs - such as driving cars at the Meet & Greet facility. When a problem arises in other areas some of this team can be diverted to assist. Examples were given of when handling agents staff 'clock off' late at night and where additional baggage handling is required, or where there are problems at UK Border Control and when assistance is needed to direct passengers into orderly queues etc.

Separate from CW's talk there was discussion, obviously to be expected, about aircraft noise and the fact that the night quota was exceeded. This was explained as being due to late running flights which arrived after the start of the night limit, but that were officially in the daytime schedules. Similarly if is possible for late running night flights to actually land after the night quota has finished- clearly a case of swings and roundabouts.
A further presentation was given by Lucy on the MANTP project and I'm hoping to have a copy of her slide presentation forwarded to me for inclusion at a later date.
The next MACC meeting is on Friday 19th January 2024.
That's all for now, visit #2 beckons!

As promised here is the Managing Director's report.

Manchester Airport Consultative Committee
Meeting Date – 13th October 2023
REPORT OF THE MANAGING DIRECTOR

1. INTRODUCTION
As you will read throughout this report, operational performance has been very positive over the summer, with
a step change in the passenger experience since last summer. Manchester Airport served 3.1 million passengers
in August – an increase of 13% on August 2022.
Our security colleagues delivered an excellent performance, with 98% of passengers going through security in
under 15 minutes and 79% getting through in under five minutes – the best figures on record. This is reflected in
a survey of more than 1,000 passengers at the airport over July and August that showed 93% of passengers rated
their overall satisfaction as ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
This summer, the Civil Aviation Authority also gave the airport its top rating for the service it provides to
passengers with reduced mobility.
While the nature of international travel will mean there are always moments when we face operational
challenges, we have had the people in place to address these. Our 100-person resilience team, trained in a variety
of roles across the airport, ensured the passenger experience was as positive as possible. One such occasion was
the outage that NATS experienced. A report into this has since confirmed a data issue, which NATS have reported
was a 1 in 15 million event.
As we exit the summer season, we are focused on the next 18 months which will take us through to Summer
2025, the completion of MAN-TP and an excellent new asset in a fully transformed Terminal 2. While there is a
significant amount of building work over the next 18 months between Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Future Security
and mending the travelators, our focus will be on ensuring every colleague provides an excellent level of
customer service.
2. GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY
HS2: The Prime Minister announced the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2a and 2b during the Conservative Party
Conference. The announcement means that the HS2 infrastructure will run only to Birmingham, where HS2 trains
will then join the West Coast Mainline. The Department for Transport state that this will lead to a journey time
saving of 30 minutes to Manchester from London, however this will not go via Manchester Airport. The savings
from cancelling Phase 2 of HS2 will be distributed across the North, the Midlands, and the rest of the country via
‘Network North’. We continue to monitor the full details of the announcement and implications for Manchester
Airport and are working with stakeholders including MPs and regional Mayors to push for the airport to be part
of any future high-speed network.
Party Conferences: At the time of writing the report, Conservative Party Conference has taken place and our
public affairs team were in attendance to promote Manchester Airport’s recovery, future and key policy areas
including HS2, decarbonisation and route development. This included meetings and events with:
• Mark Harper MP (Secretary of State for Transport)
• Baroness Vere (Aviation Minister)
• Huw Merriman MP (Rail Minister)
• Dehenna Davison MP (former Levelling Up Minister)

• Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester)
• Cllr Bev Craig (Leader of Manchester City Council)
• Lord Patrick McLoughlin (Chair of Transport for the North)
• Northern Powerhouse Partnership
• Urban Transport Group
• West Midlands Combined Authority
• Transport for the North
• Transport for London
Surface Access: We have been working collaboratively with different regions across our catchment area,
including meeting with Steve Rotheram (Mayor of Liverpool City Region) to discuss the role improved public
transport links between Liverpool and Manchester Airport can create growth in both cities. We will be working
with his rail team on this issue on an ongoing basis and were pleased to see the Mayor recognise the important
role the airport HS2 station would have in maximising the benefits of Northern Powerhouse Rail. Furthermore,
we have met with both Bradford Council and Trafford Council to discuss similar issues. We have had a
presentation from TransPennine Express on their stabilisation plan following poor performance over the last
year. This plan does not reduce the number of services to the airport, but we understand may result in some
services being of a smaller formation. Additionally, we have continued to work with Northern Powerhouse
Partnership and Pro-Manchester on HS2 and broader surface access issues.
Route Development: We have been working with several organisations over the last quarter to raise awareness
of Manchester Airport’s unserved markets, with a particular emphasis on recovery of the US since the pandemic.
This has included working with the Department for Business and Trade, the British American Business Network,
Marketing Manchester, MIDAS, Visit Britain and others to ensure Manchester Airport’s role as an enabler of
economic growth remains front of mind. We also hosted the Manchester Consulate Association to promote the
airport with Honorary Consuls and Ambassadors, who can publicise the airport in their own countries. We have
worked closely with Marketing Manchester and Visit Britain including attending meetings with Visit Britain’s CEO,
Patricia Yate to develop Greater Manchester’s Tourism strategy.
Economic and social contribution of the airport: We have commissioned a report with ARUP which exploresthe
role of Manchester Airport in supporting economies and communities across the North. The study will bring
together a compelling narrative and evidence-led story on the impact the airport provides locally, regionally, and
nationally. It will also consider how Government can support the airport and how we can drive increased
prosperity. The report is due to be complete in September and we will bring an update to members at the next
available opportunity.
Sustainability: This quarter we have met with Manchester City Council’s lead for Environment, Cllr Rawlins as
part of our regular series of engagement. We have also worked with the Greater Manchester Environment team
to collaborate on their refresh of the five-year Environment Plan and understand how the airport can support
regional targets and ambitions.
3. PLANNING MATTERS
Changes to the Planning System: There continues to be a plethora of consultations about making incremental
changes to the planning system. The previously reported extension to permitted development rights applying to
solar installations hasn’t (at the time of this report) been confirmed although the other extensions contained in
the same consultation have been confirmed – hopefully our response in respect of aerodrome safeguarding
concerns with the proposal were in part responsible for this.
Many other seemingly inconsequential changes to extend permitted development rights for all manner of
developments are being proposed but we maintain a consistent line that many of these changes should only be

allowed if a prior approval process is put in place to ensure that aerodrome’s safeguarding assessments can be
made of the developments being pursued.
Places for Everyone: A consultation on the main modifications to the plan made in response to the Examination
process will take place in the autumn. As previously reported, the allocation of an extension to Global Logistics
Hub has been recommended for removal from the plan after the Examination Inspectors deemed the allocation
to be ‘unsound’. MAG is taking legal advice regarding possible next steps.
Other policy consultations: We have been consulted on several documents from various adjoining Authorities
to do with inter alia the provision of off-site biodiversity net gain, the provision of Sustainable Urban Drainage
Solutions in development and authority-wide building design codes. Again, we have had to reinforce the point
that many of the changes proposed have the potential to introduce additional safety hazards in the vicinity of
the aerodrome. We have therefore relatedly and persistently requested additional clarity to be added to the
documents to reflect aerodrome safeguarding concerns.
Bio-diversity Net Gain: The Government has just announced a timetable for the roll-out of development having
to deliver a net gain in biodiversity with all developments. The metric of how to calculate points will be
announced in November as will templates for monitoring strategies and 30-year management plans, with the
requirement to deliver net gain with each proposal pushed back to January 2024.
Airport or near Airport developments: There has been some updates on developments across the site and
adjacent to the site, these include:
• A planning application to carry out amendments to Terminal 3 to accommodate new security screening
equipment was granted consent. The scheme involves the construction of a new security search area
over what is currently an aircraft stand (stand 18), allowing the existing search area to continue
operations until the new area is completed.
• In Airport City North, the 412 room Accor Tribe Hotel on land to the rear of the Station and Voyager
officer building has ‘topped out’, with completion expected prior to summer season 2024.
• CTI submitted a planning application to redevelop the site of Hangar 4 for an airport-related freight and
logistics unit (136879/FO/2023).
• A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the former Ferranti site for
approximately 360,000 sq. ft of logistics floorspace (MCC reference 135952/FO/2023). The formal
consultation period for the application has now closed, with a determination date yet to be finalised.

4. MANCHESTER AIRPORT TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME (MAN-TP)
Construction progress: The construction of Pier 2 work has progressed well and has seen the successful
installation of the hersco fencing. The site compound has been made into a landside facility enabled by the
construction of a pedestrian bridge that connects the South Vertical Circulation Core enclave to the Pier 2 site.
Work has now commenced on the piling to reinforce the ground. The piling method is an innovative method of
construction called HIPER piling which reduces the amount of embodied carbon used by using pre-cast piles
significantly reducing the amount of road movements needed across the airfield.
International Departures Lounge: The T2 Refurbishment works have progressed well in the former departure
lounge and security hall. The strip out of the retail units and isolations have now been completed allowing for
the steelworks to commence. The steelwork will eventually enable the construction of the additional floor levels.
The hoarding around the original Arrivals Hall is still in place as the demolition of that area is still ongoing. Work
will commence in the next couple of months that will close off this area to passengers to enable further
demolition works.

Baggage and Reclaim Hall: The new substation that provides power for the extended baggage system and
terminal is now live. Additionally, work to create a new HBS room and accommodation facility is nearing
completion above the East Reclaim Hall. The East Reclaim Hall is now closed off with hoarding as the work to
refurbish these belts to match the look and feel of the West Reclaim Hall is underway.
East Check-in Hall: In the next couple of months, work will start on the refurbishment of the East Check-in Hall
to match the look and feel of the West including the iconic bulkhead, new check-in desks and a spacious layout.
Additionally, work will soon start on the phasing of the airfield to prepare for works to start on the construction
of a dual taxiway.
5. OPERATIONAL DATA
On Time Performance (OTP)
Departure on-time performance depends on several factors including weather, airfield operations and technical
issues. Monthly performance for the past financial year across all flight types was:

Unfortunately this data would not 'copy & paste'

6. OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT – ROUTES AND SERVICES UPDATE
Passenger numbers: During the quarter, 8.92m passengers travelled through Manchester Airport. This is 94%
of 2019 levels and an increase of + 13% compared to 2022. This year’s passenger numbers translate to 94% of
2019 levels in July, 93% in August and 96% in September. In the month of August, over 3m passengers passed
through Manchester for the first time since the pandemic. The passenger recovery continued to be driven by
low-cost carriers who delivered significantly more passengers in 2023 than in 2019, which in turn meant that
the short haul markets they serve recovered ahead of long-haul markets. Despite the above trend there were

several long-haul carriers that achieved passenger volumes ahead of 2019 including Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish
Airlines and Qatar Airways.
There have been several developments for Manchester Airport’s network in the Quarter, including:
• EgyptAir returning to Manchester in July, serving Cairo 5-x weekly and linking Manchester to the
Egyptian capital for the first time since 2015.
• Luxair announced they would start a 3-x weekly service between Manchester and Luxembourg from
Summer 2024.
• easyJet announced they would begin operations to Skiathos from Summer 2024.
• Singapore Airlines announced an increase from 3-x weekly to 5-x weekly flights to Houston from
Summer 2024, returning to their pre-pandemic schedule.
• Air Canada announced an increased service to Toronto to daily in Summer 2024, whilst Air Transat will
also increase their Toronto service to 6-x weekly in Summer 2024.
• KLM announced they will operate up to 7-x daily flights between Manchester and Amsterdam from
September through the remainder of the Winter season.
• SunExpress announced a major expansion to their schedule from Manchester from Summer 24 with an
additional 150K seats on sale across Antalya, Dalaman and Izmir in the season.

7. CAR PARKING & SURFACE ACCESS
Landside Operations: Summer peak is now still in progress and number will start to reduce as we go into October.
August saw the highest vehicle occupancy ever on the estate, whilst the M&G operation also achieved the highest
vehicle movement for a single month of over 103,000. The landside control room assisted 306,741 customers via
our car park/forecourt intercoms during July 23 – Sept 23, representing an 11% reduction on the same period in
2022. Landside NPS continues to remain high when compared across the group, currently running at 50.9%, slight
improvement on the previous quarter.
Customer Transport: Customer Transport continued to focus its operations on landside and airside services, with
a particular focus on airside remote operations, with demand exceeding pre-Covid levels. Performance has been
challenging, influenced by external factors including European airspace challenges. Eight vehicles were delivered
in the period to support Landside services and replace seven vehicles approaching end of life. Overall

performance continues to meet target and the annual regulatory training period will commence from late-
September, supporting driver regulations.

Car Parking: Car park occupancy continues to average 98%+ throughout the quarter, across all self-park and
Meet & Greet products. Meet & Greet and Drop & Go remain a popular choice with customers. NPS continued
to reflect a high level of satisfaction, exceeding internal targets, with T2 M&G performing particularly well,
achieving sustained scores of 55+ throughout the quarter. New infrastructure to support a better experience in
T2 was also installed in August, going live in September to further enhance the service offering. September
delivered record performance, with movements at an all-time high during periods throughout the month.
Rail
Ticket office closures: A national public consultation was undertaken in August proposing the widespread closure
or reduction of availability of ticket offices across the rail network. This was undertaken by individual train
operators, with Transpennine Express (TPE) responsible for the ticket office at Manchester Airport station. TPE
were proposing to keep the ticket office (which is leased from MAG as owner of the station) open for another
18months before consulting again on its future. However, TPE were proposing to reduce opening hours from
06:30 daily to 08:00 Monday to Saturday and 09:00 Sunday. It should be noted that new ticket machines have

been installed in the station in addition to the existing ticket machines. MAG responded to the consultation
welcoming the retention of the ticket office but highlighting the importance of ticket staff being available to
assist passengers, particularly as, given the nature of airports, passengers may not be familiar with the British
rail system and/or may not be able to speak English. It was also highlighted that the reduction in opening hours
was over a period that corresponded with a peak in arrivals at the Airport. We requested that TPE rethought the
proposed reductions in hours and resume discussions with MAG that were underway pre-COVID on how the
overall service at the station could be improved – of which the new information screens and ticket machines
were part – to ensure that passengers can get the right multimodal information and tickets for onward journeys
with appropriate assistance on hand if required. It should be noted that the national ticket office proposals raised
serious concerns amongst a range of stakeholders and are understood to be under significant review. As such,
new proposals may yet come forward for the Airport, which MAG will keep under close review and liaise with
TPE as necessary.
Industrial action: The rail disputes with the unions are still to be resolved, with strikes scheduled by the ASLEF
(the train drivers union) on Saturday 30 September and Wednesday 4 October 2023. In addition, ASLEF also
announced an overtime ban across the UK rail network on Friday 29 September and from Monday 2 to Friday 6
October 2023. These strikes will impact on services to Manchester Airport from Northern and Transpennine
Express (but not Transport for Wales), meaning there will be very few services running from the airport on strike
days and the potential for disruption on shoulder days and days with overtime bans. Government have put out
to public consultation the imposition of minimum service levels during strikes in certain sectors, which would
include rail (and from an airport perspective, the Border). If this legislation were adopted, it would mean that a
minimum level of rail services should be provided on strike days. Whilst this should mean some trains operate
on strike days, rather than the near total closure of the network as is currently happening, it does not in itself
guarantee that services will run to the Airport, as operators will prioritise routes to match staff availability.
Northern: Tricia Williams, who formerly sat on MAG’s ExCo, has been made Northern’s new Managing Director,
and MAG are in the process of setting up a meeting with her to maintain the relationship. Sickness levels at their
Blackpool and Barrow depots are above average and remain a cause for concern; currently some services
between the airport and these stations are being cancelled.
TPE: have seen a significant improvement in reliability and punctuality in recent weeks.
Bus and Coach: We continue to work with TfGM to improve the bus services to the airport. The ongoing shortage
of drivers, however, is a major block to successful implementation. We have funded an additional vehicle for the
Local Link fleet, which started operation on 31st in July, enabling increased service levels in the early hours. At
the same time, TfGM have increased the catchment area for Local Link services to the airport. National Express
continue to increase the number of services calling at the airport, with new routes coming online during the
autumn.

8. MOBILITY SERVICES
CAA rating: We have seen extremely strong performance across all our key measures for Special Assistance
services. Our key performance measures for the Civil Aviation Authority to assist pre-booked arriving passengers
within 20 minutes, and non-booked arriving passengers within 45 minutes, are at 99.18% and 99.90%
respectively for the financial year to date, surpassing the threshold for a ‘Very Good’ rating. In July the CAA
published their annual airport accessibility report, Manchester has been awarded ‘Very Good’ for the second
half of FY23 – the highest rating and the first time we have been awarded this, recognising the significant
improvements made during the year. We are continuing to strive to meet all targets to achieve this rating again
for FY24, which we are on track for.

Customer Experience: Following significant investment into the PRM services contract to improve performance
levels and customer experience ABM’s headcount has been the highest ever over summer with a c.40% increase
in customer facing roles vs prior years. As we now head toward the quieter winter months ABM will be
maintaining summer headcount throughout to ensure readiness for Summer 24. During August we relaunched
our dedicated PRM satisfaction survey and have achieved scores on average of 4.11 out of 5, exceeding the CAA
threshold for a ‘Very Good’ rating. September has seen our busiest ever days for PRM volume, assisting more
than 2,000 PRM’s on some days.

PRM Volumes (Year to Date)

July 2023 August 2023 September 2023
44,293 44,564 54,149


Unfortunately the majority of the items after this included rather complex charts which do not give easily to 'copy & paste'. As a result I have not included details.

 

[diamond geezer]

Anyway I did take the opportunity, as he left the meeting room, to have a quiet word with Chris. His reply with regards to USPBC, which had been proposed for Manchester before covid, is that it is a no-goer and he thinks that there were crossed-wires in the AUAG (Airport Users Advisory Group report.

Why is USPBC considered a 'no-goer'?

 

[laviation]

From what I hear, it wouldn't be so much of a benefit financially. Exactly why, I don't know

2 airlines are actively interested in Shanghai.