MAG supports a UK government bailout for Virgin Atlantic

The CEO of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Charlie Cornish, has taken the unusual step of asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, currently the second most powerful man in the UK, to save Virgin Atlantic Airways - by way of a bailout if necessary. The government recently turned down such pleas to save Flybe.

Mr Cornish said that the carrier's growth in capacity had been "essential in allowing Manchester to become one of the best-connected European airports to the U.S." He added, "These services are directly benefitting the economies of Manchester and the surrounding region".

MAG is not the only organisation to offer such vocal support to Virgin. Organisations that build aircraft and engines that Virgin buys have not unexpectedly done that: Virgin Atlantic's hopes for its own state bailout have already been backed by some of aviation's biggest companies, with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, as well as Heathrow Airport, all lobbying the government on the airline's behalf.

Virgin Atlantic was a major part of Manchester's schedules, with its year-round international services. In MAG's case the reason is that Virgin is a plank on which it was building its future at Manchester, by way of the GBP1 billion Terminal 2 extension, which was scheduled partly to open this summer but which currently lies empty.