An airport the size of Manchester should be supporting dedicated aircraft handling services to airlines specialising in time-sensitive air freight services, just in time logistics and general air cargo supporting the North of England region.
And being able to handle wide-body freighters has an impact on this. Any evidence that EMA can't fulfill this function?
ATNotts refers to BHX, which presumably has a hi-lo that enabled it to handle the occasional ad-hoc freighter during the pandemic.and perhaps still does.
If freight companies and airlines enquire to MAN to operate flights and are told they cannot be handled, why should it be assumed they would automatically go to EMA or STN, the other MAG airports? Isn't it conceivable they may choose to go elsewhere and MAG not get the business?
So MAN should have a high-lo to handle the occasional ad-hoc charter? Doesn't seem to have done BHX much good in attracting regular traffic. And also, there is a bit more to it than having the equipment, it's the staff and the rest of the infrastructure. The role of the handling agent is being ignored, BHX have a small specialist company, where's at MAN I doubt whether the mainstream agents would be interested without a regular significant schedule. Ad hoc charters with big freighters are usually a pain in the backside.