Manchester Airport has announced the hiring of hundreds of new staff in an attempt to ease ongoing travel chaos.
More than 1,600 people applied for jobs at the airport in April with 500 new recruits going through security training and vetting processes. Sixty new starters joined last month, with another 200 expected to join this month.
The new hires have come after the airport attracted brutal criticism over long delays and missed flights due to short staffing. Last month also saw the resignation of the managing director Karen Smart.
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Manchester Airport has also confirmed that to date more than 8,000 applications have been sent in for roles including security officers, hospitality staff and car park marshals. It also added that 90% of passengers in the last two weeks went through security in less than 30 minutes, which was up from 78% in the first two weeks of April, Business Live reports.
Interim managing director Ian Costigan said: "We want to make sure that customers get away on their travels, so everyone at Manchester Airport is focused on bringing in the extra resources we need to continue operating our full flight schedule.
"It is encouraging to see new staff joining us as a result of our ongoing recruitment drive, and we have seen security waiting times reduce in recent weeks. The last few weeks have been challenging but the team on the ground has done a great job in getting passengers through security more quickly, and I would like to thank all colleagues for their hard work and dedication.
"As we continue to recover, we are reminding customers to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight and to ensure they are familiar with all security rules. While the majority of people will get through security in less than 30 minutes, customers need to allow time for check-in and the possibility that security queues may be longer at peak times.
"All of these things will help passengers move through the airport quickly and easily, which is our ultimate goal."
