sky travel manchester

Manchester Airport 'hoping to run entirely scheduled operation' after travel chaos

The airport said on Sunday it was "in the process of resuming operations" and flights scheduled for today "should be unaffected".

Monday 24 June 2024 03:12, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Flights are departing from Manchester Airport's two main terminals after a "major power cut" caused travel chaos for passengers.

The airport said in a post on X on Sunday afternoon that it was "in the process of resuming operations" and flights scheduled for today "should be unaffected".

Passengers queue outside Terminal 1. Pic: Reuters

Earlier on Sunday, the facility had said all flights from Terminals 1 and 2 were cancelled "until further notice" and passengers were advised not to come to the site.

Travellers due to fly from Terminal 3 were largely unaffected.

It was understood the power outage hit the airport only, after it was initially thought to have affected a wider surrounding area.

Passengers already inside the airport faced huge delays, with images showing huge queues of people.

There were instances where some people's baggage was not on flights.

Chris Woodroofe, Manchester Airport's managing director, apologised for the chaos, saying a "fault with a cable had caused a power surge that took down security systems and baggage screening".

He stated "about 20% of our flights have been cancelled so far", adding: "Tomorrow (Monday) we are very much hoping to run an entirely scheduled operation."

Mr Woodroofe said an investigation into what happened was set to take place.

Holidaymaker Lindsay Mitchell was hopeful she and her family would be able to fly to Turkey later on Sunday for a trip that had been planned for a year.

She was due to go with her husband, daughter, son, her son's girlfriend, her daughter's boyfriend, her nieces, her sister, and her two granddaughters.

Ms Mitchell told Sky News: "We were advised this morning not to travel to Manchester Airport but we'd thought we'd chance it as our flight's not until teatime, fingers crossed."

She added: "You have got to make the best of a bad situation. It's not the airline's fault, it's not Manchester Airport's fault, it's no one's fault, it's just one of those freaky things that happen in everyday life."

Read more from Sky News: Jay Slater's father describes 'nightmare' of son's disappearance Taylor Swift's message to Prince William after selfie with royals

Another passenger, Hayden Lewis, said his flight to the Greek island of Skiathos was cancelled after he was in the airport for about five hours.

He later went to Birmingham Airport after being dropped off by his father and was hopeful of getting to his holiday destination.

Mr Lewis told Sky News: "Our flight got cancelled after being in the airport for about five hours. Left with no idea when they [the airline] could get us there, so we have taken it into our own hands and are now in Birmingham Airport going to the right destination.

"We were going to Skiathos for nine nights. We travelled from Halifax to Manchester. We are now in Birmingham thanks to my dad who collected us from Manchester and dropped us in Birmingham. All because easyJet don't know when they could get us back out but want us to keep checking the app (along with the thousands of others)."

A number of arriving flights were forced to divert to other airports.

One Singapore Airlines flight arriving from Houston in Texas had to go to London Heathrow while another, which came in from Singapore, was forced to land at London Gatwick.

An Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport was diverted to Birmingham Airport.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free