But the airport authority will know exactly how many stands are required and will have accounted for these new services as slots will have been put in a while ago even if not confirmed.
Ian, you are forever the optimist and defender of the airport, and in fairness we need that to counter balance those of us who can be more critical or whose glass is half empty.
I accept there is no point in having wasted apron areas and too much excess parking capacity, but surely an airport needs some wriggle room and flexibility if things go pear-shaped. Did you survey the apron and stands last summer between 6 and 7 a.m? It looked pretty full to me. What happens if delays of say 1 hour accumulate on departures and your arrival rush starts, such that your runway slots and stand planning goes to pot?
It's been said many times before but MAN has potential problems because of its severe peaks and troughs in traffic flow. We know there is plenty of room on T2 and elsewhere in the afternoons but the airport has to cope at its busiest periods even if schedules go awry.