Swampy and the second runway: 20 years since the battle which transformed Manchester Airport
direct to your inboxThis time 20 years ago Manchester Airport had just opened its second runway at a cost of £172m, heralding what was trumpeted as a bright new era for aviation and a jobs bonanza fuelled by no-frills budget airlines.Civic leaders hailed it as an important milestone for a city with ambitions to become an international player.Two miles of concrete carpet unfurled onto rolling Cheshire countryside, it came at a cost that was environmental as well as financial.But it undoubtedly helped create thousands of jobs aimed at satisfying our lust for more and cheaper air travel.And long before Greta Thunberg was born, it helped cement the star status of Swampy, perhaps the first celebrity eco-warrior.Real name Daniel Hooper, he first