Manchester Airport appoints new boss after queue chaos and delays

Recent passengers at Manchester Airport have branded it "a complete nightmare"

Manchester Airport, which has been plagued with long queues, delays and cancelled flights, has appointed a new managing director.

Chris Woodroofe who was previously in charge at Gatwick takes on the role after weeks of travel chaos.

Passengers have recently branded the airport a "complete nightmare".

Manchester Airport Group said it had recruited 400 new staff since January with another 500 currently going through training and security checks.

Mr Woodroofe, who is originally from Widnes, Cheshire, will start the job on Wednesday.

He replaces Karen Smart who stepped down as managing director in April after eight years in the business, following criticism of long security queues which led to passengers missing flights.

Passengers had to queue for hours on the bridge connecting terminals at the airport in May

Travellers at the airport, which is owned by Greater Manchester's 10 councils and an investment firm, have recently had flights cancelled and baggage lost and long queues at check-in and security have continued.

The problems first came to light in mid-March when passengers were left waiting for hours, with some forced to queue outside in the car park while others missed their flights.

Manchester Airport has previously blamed staff shortages and a post-pandemic spike in demand.

Mr Woodroofe said he was looking forward "to working with the team to lead its recovery and drive the airport forward as the North's global gateway".

He said it was an "exciting time" to join the airport due to new Terminal 2 facilities and "huge opportunities" to attract new routes.

"Having taken my first ever flight from Manchester Airport as a child, I am looking forward to relocating back to the region and can't wait to get started," he added.

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