Just to second the comments by Suzeman and others about Alf Morris, Gordon Sweetapple and Sir Gil.
Some of us are old enough to remember them all and the contribution they made in their own way to the promotion and development of Manchester Airport.
The remark about Sir Gil being brilliant at 'working the floor' is so apt, as he was with the personal touch. I didn't work at the airport but took a keen interest, and on one occasion I wrote to him on some issue (possibly to do with diversions). Imagine my surprise a couple of days later when I walked in from work and the wife telling me there's a Gil Thompson on the phone for you. I imagine he would have been pleased with how the airport had continue to grow until this crisis, particularly on international long haul routes.