Managing director of Manchester Airport, Karen Smart, has resigned following prolonged travel chaos at the airport. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Manchester Airport Group (MAG) revealed that Smart has left to "pursue fresh career opportunities.”Smart, who was appointed to the role two years ago, has recently come under fire from airport staff and travelers due to mismanagement of operations, leading to lengthy delays and staff resignations.Smart notably navigated the airport through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw passenger numbers drop by 22 million. She has subsequently led the airports’ gradual recovery.Ian Costigan, MAG’s group transformation manager, has been named interim managing director of the airport and will guide the airport’s operations over the summer period.Speaking to The Guardian, Chief Executive of MAG, Charlie Cornish, said of Smart’s resignation,

“I am sorry to lose Karen after her years of valuable service, but also understand her desire to return to the south for family reasons and indeed to explore new career opportunities. While there are sure to be further challenges ahead, I am confident we will soon start to see the benefits of the recovery plans Karen has helped put in place and look forward to working with Ian and his leadership team to drive them forward.”

Smart had been set to meet with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and trade union representatives on Wednesday.

Travel chaos

With an increase in travel ahead of the Easter holiday period, travelers have been faced with lengthy delays for check-in and security, some waiting up to seven hours before missing their flights, with others rebooked onto alternative services without warning.

Social media posts have documented sprawling queues across check-in desks and overly packed security checkpoints, with one Twitter user warning that people would be hurt if the airport did not intervene.

The issue goes further than check-in, with arrivals passengers facing queues at luggage collection. Piles of suitcases have been left by travelers who chose to walk out after long waits and collect cases from lost property instead.

Swissport, one of several baggage handlers at Manchester Airport, has apologized for the “frustrating and inconvenient delays,” noting that despite the recent recruitment of 1,000 staff members across the United Kingdom and Ireland, absences from a rise in COVID-19 infections and security training for recent hires were among the causes for delays.

UPDATE: 2022/04/06 21:25 EST BY MOLLY RUSSELL

Response from Manchester Airport regarding delays

“Manchester Airport apologises to passengers whose experiences this weekend have fallen below the standard we aim to provide. We want to assure customers and colleagues that their safety and security will always be our first priority.

Our whole industry is facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges at present, after the most damaging two years in its history. The removal of all travel restrictions after two years, coupled with the start of the summer travel season, has seen a rapid increase in passenger numbers, which is putting an enormous strain on our operation.

We are doing all we can to recruit the staff we need to meet this demand, but this is taking time due to the lengthy vetting and training processes involved. That is why we have been advising travellers that there may be, at times, longer queues than normal.

Whenever this is the case, we do all we can to redeploy resources and prioritise passengers within queues as best we can. 

We are also aware that partners working on our site, such as baggage handling agents, are facing similar challenges. We will continue to support them in any way we can to deliver the best possible experience for customers during this challenging time.”

Union criticism

Speaking to The Guardian, John O’Neill, a North-West regional industrial officer for Unite, stated that because of mass redundancies during the pandemic, former employees had since found alternative roles with similar wages and were less likely to return to work at the airport to take on unsociable hours for equal rates of pay. O’Neill added,

“There is a huge problem with recruitment, a massive problem with recruitment. This is the test for summer, the Easter break is the test for summer. Summer is going to be far worse than this. It is the time to get everything in place otherwise summer is going to very difficult.”

In a report by Manchester Evening News, baggage handlers had stated they were under “more stress than ever,” being unable to handle the pressure of the workload. The current work environment has been described as shocking due to the mass furloughs and redundancies during the pandemic. The unnamed employee said,

"All the companies in the airport just got rid of far too many staff, everyone panicked during the pandemic. Now everything is picking up again, we can’t just get the staff back. It’s absolute carnage right now.”

Manchester Airport is not alone, as similar issues have hit other airports across the United Kingdom, with over 1,000 flights canceled this week. Heathrow Airport has been experiencing staff shortages across border control and security, leading to queues and mass delays.

Trade unions have condemned the aviation industry's attitude towards staff members, with Unite warning in a statement on Monday that travel chaos will continue if conditions do not improve. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said,

“We warned the aviation sector repeatedly not to use the cover of Covid to slash jobs and pay. This would render it unable to meet demand when passengers returned. Now the sector is suffering from a chronic inability to attract new staff because workers are not attracted to an industry where pay is poor, and conditions are lousy.”

Manchester Airport has faced additional union scrutiny for raising the wages of senior staff members during the pandemic, following wage cuts and layoffs for hundreds of workers. MAG’s annual report showed a 23% increase in pay for the group’s managers, while workers were reportedly asked to take a year-long 10% pay cut.

Potential resolution?

Following today’s meeting between airport heads, trade unions, and local government, Andy Burnham has stated that delays are likely to continue for at least two months. However, Greater Manchester will do what it can to support the airport.

The plan noted that 220 new staff members have been hired and are currently awaiting security clearance. Burnham is calling on the Minister of Security to expedite staff vetting for larger airports to deal with delays.

Police presence will also increase at the airport, with regional bus and tram transport staff drafted to help with queue management and communication.

Travelers are advised to arrive at the airport three hours before a flight, check baggage into the hold in advance where possible, and to minimize hand luggage.

What do you think of the delays at Manchester Airport? Have you experienced them for yourself? Let us know in the comments section.

Sources: The Guardian, Manchester Evening News