Andy Burnham admits ‘out of action’ Manchester Airport travellator ‘not good enough’
By Ethan Davies - Local Democracy Reporter 27th Mar 2026
Andy Burnham says Manchester Airport's 'out of action' travellator is 'not good enough' and will contact bosses over the issue.
A travellator in the Airport's 'Skylink' tunnel, which connects terminals to the dedicated Metrolink and railway stations, have been broken for 'five years', according to one frequent flyer who asked the mayor to take a closer look at the issue. She also complained of leaks in the Skylink roof, claiming they are dealt with using buckets and cloths.
The mayor said he would 'raise' the reports with Airport bosses. He told BBC Radio Manchester on Thursday (March 26): "It's not good enough, and I know exactly the area you are describing.
"I did raise it with the Airport [previously]. I have to say I do not run the Airport, it's not under my direct responsibility.
"I will raise it again. In their defence, they have been doing a major transformation of the Airport in Terminal 2. It looks pretty spectacular and on a par with what you might find with what you will find in Singapore.
I think I am right in saying they will turn their attention to this part of the Airport. It's starting to look on a par with the best in the world."
After the mayor called the situation 'not good enough', an Airport spokesperson said all but one of its travellators have been replaced in an ongoing project. They said in a statement: "The travellators in the Skylink are being removed and replaced as part of an ongoing rolling project that is almost complete, meaning the vast majority of the travellators are now in full working order and have been for some time.
"We couldn't remove and replace them all at once because that would have involved the full closure of the Skylink as each one has to be built in-situ. As a result we've undertaken the project in a phased manner.
"Like any large complex, we do experience the occasional leak during particularly heavy rainfall – but we have a dedicated maintenance team that fixes issues as they arise."
The Airport's 10-year, £1.3b revamp of terminal 2 is due to finish in the coming months. The rejuvenated terminal has now more than doubled in size and handles more than three-quarters of all passengers.
Terminal 1 closed earlier this month, with Terminal 3 set for its own transformation by taking over some space from the closed Terminal 1. It will handle Ryanair flights only.
CHECK OUT OUR Jobs Section HERE!
stockport vacancies updated hourly!
Click here to see more: stockport jobs
Share: