A police pursuit culminated in a serious crash close to Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport on May 5, 2026, causing significant disruption for early morning travelers. The incident involved a stolen Audi A3 and has raised concerns about road safety in the area.
The upper forecourt drop-off zone at Terminal 2 was closed for three hours following the collision, which occurred when the driver was reportedly moving to overtake a line of vehicles at around 80mph. This high-speed maneuver resulted in a road traffic collision that left the driver hospitalized with serious injuries.
According to a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), “Following a police pursuit, a road traffic collision occurred close to Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.” Meanwhile, a representative from Manchester Airport confirmed the closure: “Please be aware: due to a road traffic collision, the upper forecourt of Terminal 2 is closed until further notice.”
As one of the UK’s busiest airports, Manchester Airport recorded over 32 million passengers last year. The impact of this incident on early morning flights and passenger flow is significant.
Separately, the driver involved in this pursuit, Mark Burrows, faces serious legal challenges. He is accused of causing the death by dangerous driving of Heather Smedley during a previous incident linked to his driving behavior.
Burrows stated, “I believed she’d seen me, and I believed she was adhering to the highway code, yielding to me and allowing me to pass.” Yet he also admitted uncertainty about compliance from other vehicles he was overtaking.
The upper forecourt at Terminal 2 finally reopened at 5:30am, but not without considerable delays for travelers. This incident has drawn attention from local media outlets like the Manchester Evening News.
While investigations continue into both the police chase and Burrows’ past driving incidents, additional information regarding the pursuit and the collision has yet to be released. Authorities have not clarified whether any charges will be filed against Burrows pertaining to this latest incident.
