Manchester Airport - The Italians Have Invaded?

[Chillwinston]

Colleague working at Manchester reports an influx of a/c bringing the Juventus & AC Milan Fans for the UEFA Champions League, whos the lucky charter company?

How many movements today?

[Ringwayman]

From 07.00 to 19.25, I noted down just over 600 movements but I have missed a fair amount of departures; this evening saw 20 minute delays inbound.

Mixed bag of airlines: Eurofly, Alitalia, Lauda Italy, Futura, Volare, Blue Panorama, Austrian Airlines plus KLM a+ Dutchbird on "sponsors charters".

David

[chiglet]

When I left at 10pm:ok: from midnight til then were 800+:)
IF these a/c file the "correct" routes o/bound, and not get delayed, my [very] rough estimate is 920ish:D
But if you look at the "Morning peak to Morning peak", I recon over 1000 in 24 hours.
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

[cossack]

Hi Chig!
Glad to hear you had a good day. All go well in the end? Be interesting to hear later if the "Le Mans" departures work out!

[Ringwayman]

At 10 pm it was reported on a "yahoogroup" that they were some 900 movements for the day. I've subsequently totted up another 40 or so.

[Scottie Dog]

I must remember to be more careful in the sun next time - yes, a Manchester suntan!

Seriously though, my contragulations to all from ATC involved on the day. I don't think that we had quite as many movements as had been planned, but it certainly was quite a sight.

ATC seemed to do a really good job, with possibly a little confusion when it came to the parking of aircraft on the southside due to a lack of radio awareness from the ground ops vehicles who seemed to sometimes be behind the aircraft that they were suppose to be marshalling!

It is also important to thank the area controllers who did the initial filtering - especially the gent who was working 133.40 at about 1800-1900 when traffic was literally stacked back to TNT.

Scottie Dog

Cossack - I see you made it then? Watch for a PM later this week.

[chiglet]

When I left the Tower at 10pm tonight, [on my 2nd G n T now :ok: ] we were 54 movements down on the corresponding period yesterday, with one Eurofly to land at about 2220 local.
There have been Thunderstorms today in the Milan area and fog yesterday:uhoh:
Thanks Scottie, the ATSAs were "double manned" on air, and the ATCOs were the same on ground. To be totally honest I thikk that Everybody "Enjoyed" it :D
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

[Rockwell]

It could have been one of those headlines we all read about.

In the morning rush of Italian Football charter flights, which saw a high rate of movements,
additional parking was being provided on the southern taxiways of 06L/24R, which route to R2.

A base was established as a control centre. Vehicles intending to route to this control point were
instructed to route by the perimeter road which passes behind the the ILS and crosses between the
lighting gantries to the southern perimeter road.

But what happens? Two bright mauve painted catering trucks from a well known MAN Airport catering unit
decide that the shortest distant between two points is a straight line. As a constant stream of
inbound airliners were landing on 24R, the two Alpha Catering vehicles entered the active at J1 in
front of a landing SN Brussels A319, and proceeded along 24R at a sedate pace to the aptly titled
Incident Control Point. Causing a following AZI 737 to go around. (additional fuel bill to Alpha?)

So Chiglet, Cossack, whose head is going to roll - answers on a postcard please. Though I understand
the form filling is taking up a little more space than is available on a postcard.

[scoot]

Manchester Evening News Postbag 03/06/03

As I was drinking my cappuccino in the bar here in the Italian village where I’ve lived for the past 16 years, I browsed through the pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. While most people seem to agree that Manchester's hosting of the European Champions' League Final was a great success, the only aspect which came under (huge) criticism, was the infrastructure or lack of it at Manchester Airport.
The Italian newspaper carried reports of flights delayed up to 11 hours, not enough shuttle buses available from the terminal to the aircraft, very few personnel who spoke Italian, and extremely poor treatment of the thousands of fans who were left to roam the airport for several hours while waiting for their delayed flights. All of this negative news reported in Italy goes against what I've read in the Manchester Evening News which reported that the airport coped superbly with the massive traffic both on arrival and departure. Who is telling fibs?

Mark Wild, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy