Surely there must be room to put some more stands in , you are doing so well must be time for a new apron somewhere or is there simply no area to put this ?
Hi Nigel. MAN is finally getting back to the passenger levels of its record years in 2006/7, and yet last summer we were 12 stands down as two areas of apron were being used as additional car park space at the northern end of the T2 apron, about 10% of the total stands. This winter, 5 stands were put put back for a/c use (one of which was for storing equipment I believe) but an earlier poster indicated these would again revert to car parking this summer.*
In terms of aircraft parking, to get all 12 stands back would be a start. In terms of additional stands beyond that, I guess 2 possibilities would be to extend the T2 apron further north into what was the original (smaller) car park or to the east of the Terminal 2 building (which is also a car park). But space has to be found somewhere for public and staff cars, and as you may know, a new facility (with 9,000 spaces when fully operational) has been opened off Ringway Road just over a mile from the terminals.
Of course, the much rumoured major infrastructure development and timescales involved may well inhibit much in the way of piecemeal changes in the meantime. Also, I gather from those far more knowledgeable than I that the taxiway layout leaves a lot to be desired as far as the expeditious movement of aircraft on the ground is concerned.
How does all this impact on MAN's ability to continue to grow over the next few years, and then while major work is carried out, is a good question. We can accommodate more aircraft and passengers if only airlines like easyjet, ryanair and some foreign carriers would obligingly fly into MAN during quieter periods of the day, but that has to suit their needs and those of the passengers.
The opening of new security desks in T1 to ease the flow of passengers is a good and necessary move in the light of queues early morning at certain times last summer. We wait to see what the airport will do about the parking and movement of aircraft.
* Edit: Can anyone confirm whether or not those 5 stands are reverting to car parking this summer?