Manchester Airport has long recognised the benefits of dialogue with its users and neighbours and it was as far back as 1969 that it took steps to set-up up the Manchester Airport Consultative Committee (MACC).
The Committee operated very successfully in the years leading up to 1982 when the Government legislated to formalise consultation at Airports. In that year Parliament passed the Civil Aviation Act 1982 of which Section 35 provides as follows:
"(1) This section applies to any aerodrome which is designated for the purposes of this section by an Order made by the Secretary of State.
(2) The person having the management of any aerodrome to which this section applies shall provide:
(a) for users of the aerodrome,
(b) for any local authority (or, if the person having the management of the aerodrome is a local authority, for any other local authority) in whose area the aerodrome or any part thereof is situated or whose area is in the neighbourhood of the aerodrome, and
(c) for any other organisation representing the interests of persons concerned with the locality in which the aerodrome is situated,
adequate facilities for consultation with respect to any matter concerning the management or administration of the aerodrome which affects their interests.”
Where an Airport (such as Manchester) is designated under these powers, the Department for Transport recommends the operator to establish an Airport Consultative Committee, which is independent of the airport’s management. The Department for Transport has published Guidelines for Consultative Committees, which were most recently updated in April 2014. These say that Consultative Committees should:
However, the Guidelines also make clear that a Consultative Committee should not –
The DfT Guidelines for Consultative Committees can be seen on the website of the Liaison Group of UK Airport Consultative Committees [insert link] which includes also more detailed information on the statutory background and roles of Consultative Committees. It also contains other helpful information and links to other relevant websites.
The Manchester Airport Consultative Committee's Terms of Reference are to:
(i) advise Manchester Airport Plc on any matter which it may refer to the Committee;
(ii) consider any question in connection with the operation of the Airport as it affects the local communities, amenities and interests of the Region;
(iii) make suggestions to the Chief Executive and Board of Manchester Airport PLC on any matter connected with the administration of the Airport which could further the interests of users, local communities and the wider interests of the Region;
(iv) stimulate the interests of the local population in the development of the Airport; and
(v) protect and enhance the interests of the users of the Airport.
MACC draws its membership from Local Authorities (15 members); Amenity Groups (4 members); passengers and business users, and other groups representing Airport users, including disability representation, airport operations and staff, and independent bodies such as Which? and the National Trust (11 members). The Independent Chairman is appointed every four years by the Airport, and the Vice - Chairman is elected annually by the Committee from its membership. These are currently Committee members totalling 31.
The MACC members represent:
The meetings of MACC are normally attended by the Airport's Chief Operating Officer and other Airport staff who give reports on the many matters of interest to the Committee. These staff are not members of the Committee, which is also serviced independently by its Secretariat, and supported by an independent Environmental Adviser
The full Committee meets quarterly, next meetings are listed below:
There are also two sub-committees that also meet quarterly:
You can contact the MACC Secretary Mike Flynn
Meeting agenda and papers are published here after each meeting along with the approved minutes to the previous meeting. Among the papers considered by the Committee are reports by the Airport on matters of interest to the community, for example:
Please use these links to see the agendas and minutes of recent meetings:
