Manchester Airport has hit back after a baggage handler was captured describing the recent scenes of 'chaos' because they have 'literally no staff', in a new documentary. Undercover footage taken at the airport revealed critical staff shortages in Swissport baggage handling teams – with workers captured describing conditions as 'f*****g chaos' because they have 'literally no staff'.
The video, recorded as part of a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation shown on August 1, sees baggage handlers struggling to perform physically demanding shifts alone. Staff say the work would have usually been covered by two or more people before the pandemic hit.
Other baggage handlers revealed their team numbers have been slashed, saying the majority of people who were sacked were 'experienced staff'. In the UK, Swissport cut over half its 6,000 ground handling staff during the pandemic. Airport Chaos Undercover: Dispatches was aired on Monday evening (August 1).
The airport has now hit back at the scenes in the show, saying they have 'worked hard' since the start of this year to prepare for the summer season and recruited more than 600 staff members into security operations with almost 300 more joining in the coming weeks. They added in recent weeks, 'more than 95 per cent' of travellers have made it through security in under half an hour.
Manchester Airport has faced challenges with demand following the easing of Covid travel restrictions. Passengers have complained of long queues , delayed and cancelled flights and lost luggage , as the airport struggled with a lack of staff. Some got so fed up waiting for their luggage that they crawled through the carousel in a desperate bid to grab it.
The statement released by the airport in full on Tuesday (August 2) read: "The whole aviation industry has faced challenges in recovering from the pandemic, but we have worked hard since the start of the year to prepare for the peak summer season. For our part, we have recruited more than 600 new staff into our security operation and nearly 300 more are due to start work in the weeks ahead.
"This means we have not had to ask our airlines to cancel large numbers of flights, protecting the holidays of more than three million people who will travel through Manchester Airport this summer. We are confident that, thanks to the progress we have made, the overwhelming majority will have a positive experience. As an example, in the last week, more than 95 per cent of passengers got through security in under 30 minutes.
"While there will be moments when we, or our airlines, ground handlers and other partners, continue to face challenges due to our ongoing recovery, it is our view that Dispatches gave an inaccurate impression of the current state of operations and the experience that passengers will receive in the coming weeks.
"The undercover footage within Swissport’s baggage operation was several weeks old, as were almost all of the case studies and mobile phone videos used. Many of the issues highlighted in the programme related to airports other than Manchester.
"Despite several requests, we were refused a right to reply and not given the opportunity to challenge or factually correct any of the claims made. This prevented us from outlining the improvements made in recent months and risks unnecessarily misleading viewers about what to expect when they travel this summer.
"We apologise to any customers who have faced disruption during our recovery, and want to thank all of our colleagues for their hard work and dedication throughout."
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