When Jacqui Smith wanted to unveil the latest face scanner technology earlier this week, there was little surprise that she chose Manchester Airport for the launch.

The airport, which sees itself as an international hub to rival Heathrow or Gatwick, has invested heavily in improving security operations, making a pledge to airlines that passengers will pass through controls within 8 minutes.

The only queues at each of the airport’s three terminals during one of the busiest times of the year were at check-in desks. Executives boast not a single significant security delay all summer long.

In contrast, to the frenzy of Heathrow, and package tour cheerfulness of Gatwick, Manchester Airport seek to deliver an efficient and, above all, calming start to holiday or long haul business flights amid modern surroundings.

One passenger flying bmi from Glasgow, was impressed by the efficiency of the operation but not by the weather that greeted his arrival to the city. “I waited 2 minutes in total for the baggage but what I really needed was an umbrella”.

In days gone by, executives would reveal the chip on their shoulders by obsessing about how, at some point early in the 21st century, Manchester would outstrip Gatwick.

It is a measure of the airport’s self confidence that they no longer do so, and that they are now looking to bring their way of doing things to ‘one or more’ of BAA’s gateways.

Since the Manchester runway disaster which claimed 55 lives in 1985, the airport has enjoyed a steady growth. Its ownership by the 10 local authorities of Greater Manchester has allowed for a management style which, if unspectacular, is sensitive to community and environmental needs, and offers senior managers an opportunity to plan for the long term.

It came of age a decade ago when Swampy, alias Daniel Hooper, and his fellow tunnelers, were swept aside in the Battle for Runway 2. It now boasts the same number of runways as Heathrow, and only two fewer terminals.

Manchester Airports Group, which has expanded to operate Bournemouth, East Midlands and Humberside airports, is now the largest British-owned airport operator contributing £3.2 billion to the UK economy and supporting 130,000 jobs. These figures are expected to grow to £6.3 billion and 260,000 by 2015.

Over the past year the airport has finally welcomed easyJet onto its runways and added Saudi Arabian Airlines long haul flights to Jeddah and Riyadh.

Altogether more than 22.7 million passengers fly to 225 destinations with 95 airlines. Again, they forecast this to grow to 50 million passengers over the next 20 years.

Dr Jonathan Bailey, group external affairs director, said that neither he nor his colleagues want to sound complacent but their achievements have revolved around a “relentless focus on customer service”.

The airport has invested £30 million out of a total of £80 million so far this year on improving passengers’ experiences passing through the security areas. A large chunk of the cash was spent on state-of-the-art X-ray machines that view the inside of luggage in 3-D and in colour.

It is part of the ethos of the company that middle managers turn out to cope with emergencies. When hand-held luggage restrictions were introduced following the terrorist alert in August 2006, hundreds of backroom staff poured onto the concourse to ease the logjams.

On the concourse, passengers can not only enjoy a pint of Boddingtons, but also cakes and pastries baked on the spot.

“It just makes it a little bit different, and fun as well,” said Dr Bailey.

easyJet recently praised Manchester for delivering its Terminal Three passengers at 26 per cent of the cost of Gatwick’s Pier 7. Its reward for keeping costs down will be a release from price control regulations from next March.

Meanwhile Geoff Muirhead, the avuncular chief executive, has more immediate concerns than marching on the Spaniards’ territory north of the border or south towards the BAA’s fiefdoms in the South East. High in his in-tray is the looming strike of baggage and check-in staff which threatens to upset his end-of-year figures.

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