Flights begin to depart Manchester Airport’s two terminals after travel chaos | News from the United Kingdom

Flights have started departing Manchester Airport’s two main terminals after a “major power cut” caused travel chaos for passengers.

In a post on X, the airport said it was “now in the process of restoring operations” and expected “flights to resume throughout the remainder of this afternoon and evening.”

He added: “It remains important that passengers check with their airlines before traveling to the airport.

“We are also working closely with airlines to reschedule canceled flights in the coming days. Flights scheduled for tomorrow should not be affected and passengers traveling should plan to arrive at the airport as normal.”

The facility previously said all flights from Terminals 1 and 2 were canceled “until further notice” and passengers were advised not to come to the site.

Passengers scheduled to fly out of Terminal 3 were largely unaffected.

The power outage in the early hours of Sunday only affected the airport after it was initially thought to have affected the wider area.

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

There have been cases where some people’s luggage was not on the flight.

Chris Woodroofe, chief executive of Manchester Airport, apologized for the chaos and said: “So far about 20% of our flights have been canceled and about 40% have been operated. There’s still 40% to go.

“I think it’s inevitable that some of these flights won’t take off, which is why it’s so important for passengers to talk to their airlines about their flights.”

He added: “Tomorrow we very much hope to carry out a fully planned operation.”

Vacationer Lindsay Mitchell hoped she and her family would be able to fly to Turkey today for a trip that had been planned for a year.

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

Ms Mitchell told Sky News: “We were advised not to travel to Manchester airport this morning but we thought we’d risk it as our flight isn’t until 6.30pm, fingers crossed.”

She added: “You have to make the best of a bad situation. It’s not the airline’s fault, it’s not Manchester Airport’s fault, it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just one of those weird things that happen in everyday life.”

Another passenger, Hayden Lewis, said his flight to the Greek island of Skiathos was canceled after he had been at the airport for about five hours.

He later drove to Birmingham Airport after being dropped off by his father, hoping to get to his holiday destination.

Mr Lewis told Sky News: “Our flight was canceled after being at the airport for about five hours. [the airline] could get us there so we took matters into our own hands and are now at Birmingham Airport heading to the right destination.

“We went to Skiathos for nine nights. We traveled from Halifax to Manchester. We’re now in Birmingham thanks to my dad picking us up from Manchester and dropping us off in Birmingham. All because easyJet don’t know when they might get us back. ” out, but we want us to keep checking the app (along with thousands of others).

EasyJet, which operates flights from Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport, said there were “very long queues” due to security and disruption to baggage claim, meaning passengers could only board with cabin luggage.

It read: “Although beyond our control, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused as a result.

“We are doing what we can and working closely with the airport team to minimize disruption.”

Meanwhile, a number of inbound flights have previously been diverted to other airports, so anyone picking up passengers from Manchester Airport should check before travelling.

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

The airport said: “We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to restore normal operations as soon as possible.”

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A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “Following a power cut at Manchester Airport, baggage systems are currently not operational.

“Our teams work closely with the airport authorities and keep our customers up to date.

“Virgin Atlantic flights are currently departing but may be slightly delayed.”