Regional Business Information for the North West
Budget airlines will drive MAG growth says Cornish
28th February 2011
By Chris Barry - Editor, North West
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group
GROWTH in revenue, profit and passenger numbers at Manchester Airports Group will be driven by developing more routes with the likes of easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair, according to new chief executive Charlie Cornish.
Speaking to TheBusinessDesk.com, four months into his role, he said: "If you look at who is ordering aircraft it's budget airlines and airlines in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.
"We have just brought Ryanair back to Manchester and we would expect to see a lot of growth coming from that s......for the full story register now for free or login below...
A pity this decision ('budget airlines') wasn't taken around 1995. Now I suspect it IS being taken at the wrong time. The priority for the 'second city' is substantial network carrier involvement and the securing of the presence of a major alliance. Not the budget airlines that fly from any old airport. That is how you establish your city internationally. I just returned from the world's leading airport develpment conference, where the UK was discussed at length. Manchester was not mentioned once, in two days. Moreover, MAG needs to ensure it satisfies the demand for much needed routes at Manchester before its starts to have its attention distracted by other airports in the south or Scotland. My solution for Manchester would be to sell it to Fraport and get Lufthansa in as the primary network airline. David Bentley, Big Pond Aviation, Oldham
David Bentley