Airport numbers reveal massive impact of virus
Passenger numbers at Manchester Airport have collapsed because of the coronavirus crisis, new figures reveal.
The airport is the latest to reveal the impact of the pandemic. It is one of a number serving the Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire that have suffered badly from lockdown restrictions.
Manchester Airport Group saw passenger numbers for the six months to the end of September down by 88.5 per cent from 36.4 million a year before to 4.2m.
The airport, in common with every other major aviation business made a significant loss due to the impact of Covid-19, with profits before tax going from £186.7 million to a loss of £208.3m. Revenue was down from £540.6m to £102.4m.
Manchester passenger numbers were down 90.2 per cent from 17.4 to 1.7m and East Midlands dropped 90.3 per cent from 3.1m to 300,000.
Birmingham Airport has also seen a dramatic drop in passenger numbers this year. From January to the end of September the airport had 2.6 million passengers which was 74 per cent less than the same period in 2019.
Elsewhere, London Stansted fell 86.2 per cent from 15.9 to 2.2m
Manchester Airport Group’s response to the pandemic has focused on long-term recovery.
All non-essential expenditure was frozen, all staff took a 10 per cent pay cut from April and the size of its management team has been reduced resulting in 25 per cent fewer leaders and back office roles.
It has been leading industry efforts to influence Government policy so that the aviation industry can fly more people in the short term and recover strongly in the medium-to-long term.
