• Almost three million people travelled through Manchester Airport in July
• 96 per cent of those passengers got through security in under 15 minutes
• August set to be the busiest month of the year, with up to 107,000 passengers coming through per day.

Manchester Airport is gearing up for its busiest days of the year, with around 100,000 passengers a day set to pass though the northern gateway this month.

August is the peak month of the holiday season and follows a successful July that saw nearly three million passengers fly into or out of the airport – an increase of almost 15 per cent on July 2022.

As passenger numbers continued to grow, the experience delivered to travellers also improved – with 96 per cent of people getting though security in under 15 minutes, compared to 95 per cent in the three previous months.

Last month also saw Manchester Airport awarded the top rating available in the Civil Aviation Authority’s Airport Accessibility Review, which praised ‘significant improvements’ made in the service offered to disabled and less mobile passengers.

Around 100,000 passengers will come through the airport most days over August, with that figure increasing to 107,000 on Fridays.

The airport welcomed 2,995,984 passengers in July, more than 200,000 more than the previous month, which was the busiest the airport has been since before the pandemic.

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, said:

“We are proud to serve the North, connecting people from all over the region to the places they love to travel to during the summer season, and making it as easy and affordable for them as possible.

“In the last month alone, we’ve seen almost 3m passengers come through the airport and we’ve worked hard to give every single person the best start to their travels. More than 96 per cent of people have been able to get through security in under 15 minutes meaning they get to relax in our departure lounges and feel like their holidays are beginning at the airport.

“The summer is in full swing. We’re expecting even more passengers in August, and I feel confident that we’re in a great position to continue giving people the best start to their breaks.

“We’ve recruited more than 3,000 new employees since last year and our 100-person resilience team is making sure that we’re able to respond quickly to any issues that may crop up. This work has also helped us get the top rating from the Civil Aviation Authority for our support for passengers who need assistance.

“So, if you’re coming through Manchester Airport in the next month, we look forward to seeing you.”

The most popular destination for the region’s holidaymakers in July was the Spanish island of Mallorca, with almost a quarter of a million passengers flying to Palma. Travellers wanting a shorter trip meant Dublin was the second most popular destination, with perennial favourites like Faro, Tenerife and Malaga all occupying top-ten spots.

Orlando saw the biggest percentage increase in passengers jumping from 44,000 passengers flying out to the theme park capital of the world in June compared to 53,000 in July.

The most popular destinations over the last month have been:

1. Palma de Mallorca – 224k passengers
2. Dublin – 220k passengers
3. Alicante – 179k passengers
4. Faro – 157k passengers
5. Tenerife – 145k passengers
6. Dubai – 141k passengers
7. Malaga – 139k passengers
8. Antalya – 138k passengers
9. Belfast – 131k passengers
10. Dalaman – 117k passengers

AssetCool, a thermal metaphotonics company out of the University of Manchester, has completed a £2.25 million Series A Funding round. The largest capital commitment as part of this round has been made by Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on university spin-outs and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England, which joins existing shareholders Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, managed by Mercia Asset Management and Kero Development Partners.

AssetCool has developed a novel, durable coating, which can be applied to overhead power lines to increase the performance of electricity networks while reducing energy losses, cost and emissions. The photonic materials-based coating improves the current carrying capacity of overhead transmission and distribution lines by up to 30%, allowing more electricity to pass through conductors, providing a solution to emerging global transmission and distribution network bottlenecks. In addition to this, up to a 10% reduction in power losses can be achieved, abating the need for further carbon-emitting power generation.

Population growth, combined with the adoption of electricity-intensive products, such as electric vehicles, and the integration of renewables are placing global electricity networks under significant strain, leading many power networks to enter capacity constraints on their overhead lines. The cost of replacing overhead conductors or building new lines to increase capacity is significant. AssetCool’s coating acts to reduce conductor operating temperatures using passive radiative cooling, providing a cost-effective way to increase grid capacity and reduce power losses and carbon emissions.

In addition to coating new overhead conductors, AssetCool has developed techniques to retrofit existing electricity networks, including through the use of aerial coating robots. The retrofit solution will further increase AssetCool’s reach and impact, enabling more network operators globally to benefit from the cost and carbon savings the technology brings.

The company was co-founded by Dr. Niall Coogan at the University of Manchester in 2016 whilst on the EPSRC Power Networks Centre for Doctoral Training. AssetCool relocated to Nexus on The University of Leeds campus in 2019, where its team of physicists, formulation chemists, power engineers and mechatronics experts can benefit from the University’s extensive network of experts and world-leading research in photonics.

The funding will allow the company to advance with the commercial rollout of its coating, as well as to further develop techniques to retrofit the existing grid network with AssetCool’s technology.

Dr. Niall Coogan, Founder and Managing Director of AssetCool, said: “With grid infrastructure becoming a frequent bottleneck as growing populations demand greater levels of electricity, we believe that our photonic coating and related in-situ application technology can offer a discontinuous reduction in costs for adding capacity to overhead lines, helping to facilitate electrification around the world. We are excited with the continued support of our existing investors and to attract new investment from Northern Gritstone. This investment will allow us to further accelerate our commercial roll-out and develop effective techniques to fit it to existing networks.”

Duncan Johnson, Northern Gritstone CEO, said: “As the modern world becomes increasingly reliant on the energy grid to provide electricity for sustainable modes of transport such as electric vehicles, the bottleneck in transmission networks is becoming ever more prevalent. AssetCool’s innovative technology provides a solution to increasing the capacity and efficiency of these networks that has the potential to transform the energy transmission process across the globe.

“With links in both the Universities of Manchester and Leeds, AssetCool is a living example of the breadth of the technology ecosystem in the North of England. We look forward to working with Niall and his team as they continue to develop their technology and roll it out across the energy grid.”

Stagecoach Manchester regrets to inform customers that bus drivers will be taking industrial action on 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th August 2023.  

During these dates, Stagecoach will be operating the following limited services only between 07:00 hours and 19:00 hours. 

• Service 43 – every 15 minutes 
• Service 192 – every 15 minutes (Hazel Grove to Manchester) and every 15 minutes (Stepping Hill Hospital to Manchester) 
• Service 201 – every 15 minutes 
• Service 203 – every 15 minutes  
• Service 219 – every 15 minutes 

Services operating out of Stagecoach Manchester’s Middleton and Wigan Depots are unaffected by this action and the following services will operate as normal: 

Middleton services 

• 56, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 149, 171, 172, 350, 426 
• The following services will also run on Sunday 129, 343, 415 

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10A, 34, 34A 

Lee Wasnidge, Managing Director of Stagecoach Manchester, said:   

“We’re extremely sorry that we will be running a reduced service in parts of Greater Manchester because of the industrial action being taken by Unite the Union. I would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding, and I want to reassure them that we remain committed to working with Unite the Union to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.

“We have been negotiating intensively with Unite to reach a fair pay deal that recognises the commitment and professionalism of our workforce, whilst ensuring that pay rises are affordable. We have made a significantly improved, above inflation, offer of a 14.3% pay increase plus a one-off payment of £750. Unlike other public sector workers, our drivers have received above inflation pay increases over recent years, including during the pandemic, and so it was very disappointing that this latest offer was rejected.

“We know that Manchester depends on our services to keep the city moving, with over two million passenger journeys a week. Industrial action disrupts the lives of local people who depend on our buses to get to work and access public services, and impacts local businesses.  As we look to reverse a 15% reduction in the number of people travelling by bus since the pandemic and drive improvements to bus services in the region, the focus of everyone should be on protecting the long-term sustainability of services.

“We remain open to negotiate further with Unite the Union to find a pay settlement that works for our staff, our business and most importantly, our customers.”

Stagecoach Manchester customers are advised to stay updated on the latest service information by visiting stagecoachbus.com or by following them on Twitter @StagecoachGM 

• Sambro International has taken one step further in its ESG commitments with a planned roll out of cardboard packaging to replace current ‘egg-shaped’ plastic designs
• The fully recyclable packaging will launch initially with licensor Hasbro across its Peppa Pig™ Create Your Own Character line
• Redesign will save 12.8 tonnes of plastic a year

Award-winning global supplier of licensed and own brand toys, Sambro International has reimagined packaging for one of its best-selling lines, in a move which will help save 12.8 tonnes of plastic a year.

As part of its ESG commitments, which has already seen the firm reduce its scope 1 & 2 carbon footprint by 10% since its baseline year, Sambro has undertaken an audit of the packaging used across its range of toys, identifying ways in which it can make sustainable improvements.

The result of which has seen the launch of a new look fully recyclable packaging format that will replace its ‘egg-shaped’ plastic packaging, which has been used across a variety of Sambro products for over three years.

This includes Sambro’s best-selling Create Your Own Character line which has been developed in collaboration with long-standing license partner Hasbro as part of its Peppa Pig™ franchise of products.

The Peppa Pig™ Create Your Own Character range comprises four collectable characters, including Peppa Pig, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Packs include fabric outer body, stuffing and instructions on how create your very own Peppa plush.

Working in partnership, Sambro’s Design, Product and ESG teams developed updated packaging for the range, to reduce plastic waste and add an extra play element, increasing retailer and consumer appeal.

The end-result is a new paper-based packaging design inspired by milk-cartons, which is fully recyclable, which includes the bag that holds the stuffing for the toy. The packaging also features a cut out heart image, which adds an extra play element. There are also additional design elements such as the paper tie and gift bag, which allow it to be reimagined as a gift line.

Under the current deal with Hasbro, the updated packaging will be launched to UK and EMEA retailers from January 2024 and will be expected to hit shelves by SS24.

Based on latest sales stats, which show that 236,363 Create Your Own Character toys were sold in 2022, as a direct replacement, Sambro’s cardboard packaging will save 12.8 tonnes of plastic, the equivalent of 752,469 plastic drinks bottles from landfill.

Other benefits include the packaging’s new rectangular shape, which packs more efficiently, resulting in smaller shipping cartons. The addition of on pack snipes which educate around plastic-free packaging, will also help increase customer awareness of better buying choices.

Lisa Longley, Sambro’s Ethical and Sustainability Manager, said: “Sambro is committed to working with its licensors such as Hasbro to develop more sustainable packaging solutions. As part of our wider ESG commitments, we have a road map which addresses how we can better use 100% recycled and recyclable materials in our packaging.

“Whilst practical, our current egg-shaped packaging is not easily recyclable and offers little secondary use for customers, making it a sustainable weak spot for us.

“Our new reimagined packaging has seen our Design, Product and ESG teams work together to develop a bespoke customer specific packaging solution, which we are now hoping to roll-out across other ranges currently using this egg-shaped packing.

“The broader efforts to reduce the use of plastics across our packaging will include more environmentally friendly and innovative materials, enhanced consumer recycling through product design and on pack snipes, and an overall eco-friendly themed approach to play.”

Sambro launched its new look design at the Las Vegas Licensing Expo last month as part of the Products of Change stand.

To find out more about Sambro’s wider ESG commitments visit: https://www.sambro.com/sustainability