Our travel hell: Manchester Airport passengers reveal chaos they endured after ‘two-hour’ power cut forced chiefs to cancel more than 100 flights in desperate bid to clear huge ‘bottlenecks’

Holidaymakers have spoken of the chaos they endured at Manchester Airport today after a quarter of all flights were cancelled due to a major power cut.

Thousands of fed up passengers spent hours in check-in and security queues, or were left stranded on inbound planes following the electrical fault.

Around 70 flights departing from Terminals 1 and 2 were cancelled, as airport bosses appealed to passengers to stay at home.

Those due to fly from terminal three were told to go to the airport as normal, unless advised otherwise by their airline, after some earlier departures were delayed.

The power cut lasted just a few minutes at 1.30am, knocking out security systems including baggage loading, boarding pass screening and passport controls.

This meant passengers and their luggage could not be processed for hours — and there were instances where some people’s baggage was not on flights.

Paul Spencer, 67, and his wife, Jane, 66, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were due to fly to the Greek island of Kefalonia with Jet2 at 4am. They arrived just as the outage occurred and managed to get through baggage check-in and security and onto the plane, but their flight was cancelled before take-off.

‘There was no prioritising, and people who were flying later were blocking those who were flying earlier,’ Mr Spencer said. ‘I think we were queuing for about four hours. 

Cooper Rawe, Georgia Rawe, Dan Mason, Lisa Rawe, Henry Rawe and Dan Mason (pictured) sat outside Manchester Airport today 

Passengers queue outside Terminal 1 after an overnight power cut led to disruptions and cancellations at Manchester Airport

Pandemonium at Manchester airport as a power failure sees bags piled and lined up in the terminals 

‘When we got to the gate, we spotted the captain of the plane. He didn’t know about the chaos inside the airport and was wondering why the baggage hadn’t been loaded.

‘Eventually, we got onto the plane but we were sat there for 45 minutes before we were told the flight was being cancelled.’

The couple managed to find alternative flights from Leeds-Bradford airport today.

‘We feel we’ve got off lightly because other passengers weren’t so lucky,’ Mr Spencer added. ‘Some we chatted to said they’d been told they’d have to get down to Gatwick to catch an early morning flight to Zante and then get a ferry on to Kefalonia from there.’

Managing director Chris Woodroofe stood outside the airport’s building this morning and offered his ‘sincere apologies to every single passenger impacted by what has gone on’. 

Friends Lisa Raw, 37, and Daniel Mason, 33, were part of a 16-strong group of friends and family due to travel to Dalaman, in Turkey, at 11.20am with Sun Express.

Paul and Jane Spencer’s flight was cancelled just before take off and they were forced to find alternative flights from Leeds-Bradford airport today 

Louise and Christine Hill (pictured L-R) wait in the queues at Manchester Airport today 

Emily Parkinson and Charlie Smith (pictured) wait in the queues at Manchester Airport 

Mrs Raw, an aesthetics practitioner from Richmond, North Yorkshire, said: ‘We got here at 7.30am but didn’t find out it was cancelled until two hours later.

‘So we’ve now had to find new flights from Liverpool that cost £1200. All we were told was keep standing around, we got not updates at all.’

Jennifer and Robin Holt and their two children Molly, 19, and George, 16, were due to fly to Bangkok with Etihad.

Mrs Holt, 45, said: ‘We were watching our flight on Flight Radar and it just kept circling above Manchester Airport before it was diverted to Birmingham.

‘It didn’t bother landing here due to all the chaos.

‘We’ve been told to stay at a hotel in Manchester and hopefully we can get a flight early tomorrow morning.’

Mr Woodroofe said it is hoped that operations will return to normal tomorrow morning.  

The airport’s own power supply packed up at about 1.30am that was effectively like ‘ripping the plug out of your computer without shutting it down properly’, he said. 

Engineers have since fixed the fault but so far more than 40 flights have been scrapped but more are expected. 

At 3.15pm the airport posted an updated message on its X/ Twitter page to say it expected flights to restart this afternoon and evening. 

People who had to turn around today after their plane was grounded may not be able to fly out until later this week with the airport saying it is working with airlines to reschedule the flights in the coming days. Those who have flights booked tomorrow should travel to the airport as normal. 

Some passengers who did manage to board planes earlier face an anxious wait to be reunited with their belongings as the airport warned luggage lined up and piled in the terminals may not even have been flown out on the same plane as them.

Manchester Airport’s managing director Chris Woodroofe stood outside the airport’s building to issue a grovelling apology to passengers

Jennifer Holt, Molly Holt, Robin Holt and George (pictured L-R) were due to fly to Bangkok with Etihad 

 Louise and Christine Hill (pictured) among the chaos at Manchester Airport today 

Jennifer Holt (left) said the family had been told to stay in a hotel in Manchester tonight and hopefully get a flight tomorrow 

Mr Woodroofe said: ‘First of all an apology, my sincere, personal apologies to every single passenger who has been impacted by what has gone on at Manchester Airport today.’

Explaining the impact the power spike had on its systems and the dire situation the airport finds itself in with planes unable to land on a jammed airfield.

He added: ‘That’s damaged some really key equipment for our departure’s security and our departure’s baggage systems. 

‘So that’s meant terminal one and terminal two haven’t been able to depart aircraft today and as a result we haven’t been able to have those aircraft land either as arrivals as there is no space to park those aircraft on the airfield.’

He added: ‘We are working very closely with our airlines to seek to recover the operation and understand what passengers can be re-booked on to future flights.’

EasyJet, which operates flights from terminal one, said there were ‘very long queues’ for security and disruption to hold baggage processing, meaning passengers could board flights only with cabin luggage.

The airline, which had the largest number of cancellations, said: ‘Although outside of our control, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience experienced as a result.

‘We are doing all we can and working closely with the airport team to minimise the disruption.’

Meanwhile, a number of arriving flights were being diverted 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.

Among those caught up in the disruption was Samuel Martin, 27, a student at the University of Sheffield, and his friend Matthew O’Brien, 27, an operations manager, whose flight to Manchester Airport from New Zealand via Singapore was diverted to Heathrow.

The airport said it is working to get those passengers already at the airport onto flights as soon as possible’

(Pictured from left to right) Evie Marsh, 20, Honey Harrop, 20, and Sara Bonakdar, 21, have all been left ‘devastated’ after missing out on seeing American pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo tonight after their flight to Lisbon was cancelled

Holidaymakers departing from Terminals 1 and 2 are warned to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport

Manchester Airport is in ‘utter chaos’ today with passengers standing shoulder-to-shoulder in after a major power cut left all flights facing severe delays or cancellations

Mr Martin, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, said: ‘We had someone driving to come and pick us up from Manchester Airport who had to turn around and go home.’

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: ‘Following a site-wide power outage at Manchester Airport, baggage systems are currently not operational.

‘Our teams are working closely with the airport authorities and are keeping our customers up to date with the latest information.

‘Virgin Atlantic flights are currently departing but may be subject to minor delays.’

At just after 3pm, the airport said it was in the process of resuming operations, saying flights on Monday ‘should be unaffected’.

It apologised for any inconvenience caused.

Mr Woodroofe described it as a ‘very difficult situation’ and said he ‘couldn’t be more sorry.

He continued: ‘The good news is we very much expect this to be recovered over the afternoon and evening so we are back to normal operations tomorrow.’

Three Olivia Rodrigo fans are devastated as the chaos shattered their plans of seeing the American pop sensation in Lisbon tonight where she was performing the last show on the European leg of her Guts tour. 

One family had their plane diverted at the last minute to Heathrow as it began to descend ready for landing towards the end of a 13 hour and 45 minute flight from Singapore. 

Huge queues formed in Terminals 1 and 2 at Britain’s third busiest airport following the ‘two hour’ outage as passengers grumbled about a ‘total lack of announcements’ about their flights.

People expecting to fly in to Manchester found out mid-air they were landing miles away elsewhere as a number of flights are diverted to other airports. 

One mother, who did not wish to be named, told MailOnline she has been stuck on the runway at Heathrow for more than an hour after her flight from Singapore was diverted at the last minute. 

Huge queues formed in the terminals as passengers grumbled about a ‘total lack of announcements’ about their flights

People queue to use the lifts at Manchester airport 

Delayed at passengers sit on the terminal floors 

People standing in the terminal at Manchester airport following an earlier power cut

Fed up passengers wait outside Manchester airport’s Terminal 1 after an overnight power cut caused chaos

Passengers sit among their luggage and look at their phones and tablet to keep them entertained during the wait

People are queuing outside the airport waiting to get inside as staff work through a backlog

Several short power cuts happened at around 1.30am and, although the airport’s back-up generators kicked in quickly ‘within a short space of time’ (Pictured — people waiting outside)

The cut knocked out the computers operating the site’s security systems, including those at passport control, boarding pass readers and bag processing (Pictured — people waiting outside the airport)

‘Heathrow staff say they’re struggling to get any kind of information from Manchester airport staff so no idea what’s happening,’ she said. 

‘They also said they were only told to divert the flight as they started to descend for landing at Manchester. 

‘The plane crew are trying their best but they have no idea what’s going on either. I have some very fed up kids after a long journey from Sydney.’

Honey Harrop, 20, Evie Marsh, 20 and Sara Bonakdar, 21, have all been left ‘devastated’ after missing out on seeing American pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo tonight in Lisbon.

The three pals’ easyJet flight was cancelled at 8.30am but they are still sitting in the arrivals hall as they say they have nowhere to go.

‘We are all pretty devastated and just feel really frustrated because the communication from the airport and easyJet has been really terrible,’ Honey told MailOnline. 

‘Though we do understand that it is an unprecedented situation. It is just really annoying that we won’t make it to the concert.’

Luggage has been chucked on ‘any carousel’ with prams discarded on the floor, one person claimed who has posted footage which showed people standing in near darkness as an alarm sounded. 

Several short power cuts happened at around 1.30am and, although the airport’s back-up generators kicked in quickly ‘within a short space of time,’ the cut knocked out the computers operating the site’s security systems, including those at passport control, boarding pass readers and bag processing which take time to re-boot. 

This meant that staff were unable to process passengers arriving for early morning flights causing a ‘giant bottleneck’, an airport spokesman said. 

Engineers have since fixed the fault but the exact cause is unknown. 

‘The airport runs on its own electrical supply so none of the wider area was affected,’ he said.

The ‘two hour’ outage sparked chaos in Terminals 1 and 2 as holidaymakers are warned to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport

Delayed passengers standing in long lines inside the airport’s terminal

It is understood there was a widespread power cut in the area which plunged the airport into near darkness

‘The fault has been fixed and checked so we are confident it won’t happen again but we do not know exactly what caused it.

‘What happened around 1.30am was the power cut, then the back up kicked in, the power was restored, but then went off again, all within a short space of time.

‘It was effectively what happens when you rip the plug out of the back of your computer without shutting it down properly, but on a much bigger scale, and when it is affecting important infrastructure around the safety of aviation the delay in those systems getting back up and running is what caused the problem.’

He said staff were working hard to get those passengers scheduled to take off on early morning flights into the air and out of the airport, but admitted ‘dozens’ of flights in and out of Terminals 1 and 2 today would be cancelled until the backlog was cleared.

So far more than 40 flights have been scrapped but more are expected.

The airport said it is working to get those passengers already at the airport ‘onto flights as soon as possible’, although their bags may not be loaded onto the same plane. 

‘We will work with airlines to make sure passengers are reunited with any baggage that is not on their flight as soon as possible,’ the airport said. 

Fern, who did not wish us to publish her surname, was stuck at the airport for six hours after her plane from Hurghada in Egypt landed on the tarmac at about 2.50am.

She told MailOnline she was ‘herded like cattle through long corridors until alas, a dramatic halt to all movement and a one hour and 45 minute wait in corridors with no communication’. 

The electricity supply went out at around 1.30am leaving stranded passengers standing in near darkness

One person has claimed luggage has been chucked on ‘any carousel’ with prams discarded on the floor

‘Frustrations continued when we were then looped back to the tarmac to board buses to T1,’ she said.

‘It was terribly slow movement on the passport control – several machines going down and again, zero staff-  had there been a zombie apocalypse whilst we flew the skies?

‘Relief washed over us when we entered the baggage claim area. This was to be short lived. Now, I’m going to cut a very long story short, but I left baggage claim at 8:45am. A staggering six hours after landing with no communication from any airline staff and only Jet2 reps visible who, whilst very helpful, could only provide so much support to those travelling with other airlines like myself. 

‘Absolutely shocking scenes, the trauma is sure to last a lifetime!’

In a statement released at 6.30am today, Manchester Airport said: ‘Manchester Airport was affected by a major power cut in the area earlier this morning.

‘This has caused widespread disruption and a significant number of flights, particularly from Terminals 1 and 2, are expected to be delayed or cancelled… we apologise for any inconvenience and aim to restore normal service as soon as possible.’

The airlines that operate from Terminal 1 include easyJet, Aer Lingus, Emirates, and Etihad Airways. 

The likes of Air France, Jet 2, KLM, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Tui, and Virgin Atlantic fly out of Terminal 2.     

Travel expert Simon Calder told LBC the systems at the airport are in ‘extreme disarray’. 

‘The vast majority of passengers will be using terminals one and two [and] there are crowds of many thousands of people there, they have been there since the early hours,’ he said. 

‘No flights are leaving and the latest information I have is that the airport is going to instruct the airlines to cancel a whole swathe of flights for several hours this morning, which will mean people who are on their way to the airport will suddenly find they will get a message saying your flight isn’t going in a bid to recover the operation later today. 

‘On top of the tens of thousands of people who will be affected by hundreds of cancellations you’ve got an equal of opposite number of people waiting to fly back who are also going to be stranded.

‘All of this is happening at a time when aviation is just getting into a peak season.’ 

He warned the situation could get ‘very messy’ and people could be waiting ‘several days’ to get to where they needed to be.   

Shohaib Siddique posted footage of hundreds of people waiting to get inside the terminal as he wrote on x/ Twitter: ‘Chaos at Manchester airport after power outage 2 hours stood outside the terminal with no idea if we are departing today or not.’ 

‘What kind of hell on earth is this airport?’: Stranded passengers enduring the ‘chaos’ at Manchester airport 

The airport has apologised for any inconvenience as it explained there had been widespread disruption and a significant number of flights, particularly from Terminals 1 and 2, are expected to be delayed or cancelled

Hundreds of people have been pictured outside waiting to get inside the airport and say they don’t know whether their flight will be departing today 

Emily Louise said she had been in a queue for nearly three hours.  She wrote: ‘My gate has technically closed & passengers who checked in already their suitcases are still in the check-in area? Organised chaos & no Communication!’

A furious Max Wilkinson branded the airport a ‘shambles’ and called on management to quit. 

‘Utter disgrace, the airport should have back up systems / generators for this sort of scenario,’ he wrote on X. 

‘Expect the unexpected. In general this airport is a shambles and needs major investment. I don’t see how a power cut causes a toilet blockage across T1. Management should resign.’ 

Passengers at nearby Birmingham Airport have also faced travel misery for weeks as they wait in queues for hours amid confusion over the security’s liquid policy. 

On Thursday scores of holidaymakers took to social media to share their experience, describing two-hour queues as ‘appalling’ and ‘ridiculous’, while another traveller said the ‘non-express queues are insane’.

Physical changes to the security area, which should allow for new technology required to relax the 100ml rule, mean passengers are now queuing on the ground floor and, at busy times, even outside of the airport.

The Government had announced that the 100ml rule would be scrapped in time for summer, meaning holidaymakers could take larger bottles of liquids in hand luggage for the first time in years.

But this has now been delayed, causing chaos at airports across the UK and confusion for passengers.

New ‘liquid check’ stations have been rolled out at the airport in a bid to cut the time wasted at security by those confused by the changes to hand luggage rules.

Airport bosses have also said they are in the process of hiring a further 100 staff to help combat the lengthy queues faced by travellers.