Secret migrant flights at UK airport declare goes viral – however the fact may be very totally different

Allegations that hundreds of migrants are arriving at Manchester Airport under cover of darkness have been debunked. The claim stemmed from what was presented as an interview with a “whistleblower” published online, which was subsequently shared by a Reform UK councillor on his X account.

The Manchester Evening News understands there are worries about whether AI technology was employed in the original publication. The Reform councillor, Stuart Davies, serves on North Somerset Council, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Outlining what he termed “serious allegations”, and citing the source, he stated the “whistleblower” claimed planes were touching down between 2am and 4am, multiple times weekly, at Manchester Airport “carrying 200 to 300 people from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa”.

Coun Davies, whose post has been extensively shared and discussed, referenced the source and claimed they were “allegedly processed by Home Office staff rather than Border Force and taken away on unmarked buses”. The source piece mentioned the aether private terminal at Manchester Airport.

Yet the facility – utilised by celebrities and VIPs including the Prime Minister – only has capacity for 60 people and is typically restricted to just 12. The piece mentions “hidden’ exit gates, though the terminal sits directly adjacent to the Runway Visitor Park”.

The article further mentions flight “transponders” being switched off, a detail that immediately raised a “red flag” for readers. Councillor Davies , who represents the Wick St Lawrence and St Georges ward on the council, posted that if the account was authentic, “these are extremely serious allegations and the government should provide clear answers”.

The Manchester Evening News can confirm that no such flights occur. The airport does accept individuals as part of government-accredited repatriation programmes, which includes UK citizens returning from the Chagos Islands before power is transferred to Mauritius.

There have also been widely reported government resettlement flights including the now-defunct Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the scheme to aid Ukrainians, initiated after Russia’s invasion of the country. These flights – a handful of which have occurred over the past decade – are operated by the government, announced beforehand and can be tracked on flight monitoring websites.

Passengers on these flights have been processed through the airport’s main terminals, not elsewhere. The image accompanying the claims in Councillor X’s post is believed to depict a plane at Birmingham Airport.

Martyn Cartledge, a respected aviation author told Manchester Evening News: “I can assure you if there were ‘special flights’ [air traffic control] would be all over it, as they would potentially be wanting to see the aircraft. Information like this gets out.

“It is simply impossible for this to be happening in complete secrecy. Regarding the X post, all I can say is that the photo is not Manchester.”

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