Originally Posted by
Navpi
Oh my goodness, the lack of knowledge in this area really is stellar.
I hasten to add i am not singling out eggc here but more the off recurring point that seems to be corrosive that it makes "perfect business sense".
Well here's a thing I'm the import customer at the end of the chain, and its not making perfect sense to me and clearly not to a few others given Rutans observations.
I have absolutely no reason to disbelieve him given others have also made the point more covertly earlier on in this thread. There was i believe a suggestion that this practice may have even allegedly instigated management changes.
The Manchester airport cargo page is positively gushing, the reality I'm sad too say in some instances is the complete opposite.
Point1) There seems to be a suggestion that freight which has routinely been redirected to EMA is simply "popped" on a lorry and with a Mary Poppins click of the fingers is available some 90 minutes later for onwards despatch from Manchester, that as Micheal O' Leary might indicate is complete xxxxxxxolgy. We are in most cases talking a min' of 48 hours and in some cases more, especially if the divert is to Stansted. Certainly if my own experience is anything to go by freight becomes bound up in a logistical log jam of customs, storage, and lorry consolidation/ availability. After these hurdles have been overcome it eventually leaves for Manchester where it is then stored again in transit waiting further pick up.
Point2 ) As Rutan has indicated it is NOT repeat NOT in Manchesters gift henceforth to potentially take an enquiry for freight bound specifically for Manchester and indicate that it should be redirected to EMA or indeed as sometimes happens Stansted.
As per the web site I'm struggling with a few of the claims.
120,000 tonnes per annum throughput stands out immediately but according to wikepedia, it is infact only 65,000 tonnes.
(Is the other 65,000 tonnes driven in by truck from other airports)? if that is the case it suggests only half of Manchester throughput is directly received at the Airport by plane. Does that not then in turn undermine the following claims ?
The World Frieght Terminal is quote "located within a two-hour drive of the cities of Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Hull, Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke and Wolverhampton. London, Glasgow and Edinburgh are within four hours".
If your imported goods have come below deck this may be true, if it was switch sold to EMA or even Stansted, well good luck with those trucking times.
"The M56 motorway forms an integral part of the regional motorway network, providing direct access to Manchester, Liverpool and the M6 motorway, with travel times of 20, 40 and 15 minutes respectively from the World Freight Terminal".
True but if your consignment again was switch sold to EMA/Stansted the location of the M56 becomes somewhat academic.
There remains a lot of civic pride for Manchester specifically from it's shareholders in Greater Manchester, we saw this when delays took hold last year and heads rolled. We also had evidence of this when the next phase of terminal development was announced in February.
I'm struggling to envisage a situation where those same shareholders "knowingly" allowed this situation to develope to the extent that a regulator has then had to step in.
The new CEO appears to be from the Gil Thompson mould, he inherited these protocols from the previuos regime who recetly stepped aside, but i am pretty sure he will do his utmost to avoid further sanction. Thus far his CV is exemplary, he will I'm convinced fix this.