Manchester Airport, one of the UK’s busiest hubs, experienced a significant power cut on Sunday, leading to major delays and disruptions for passengers. The outage particularly affected flights from Terminals 1 and 2, causing widespread frustration among travelers.
In a statement, the airport confirmed the situation: “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.”
Footage on social media showed long lines at the terminals, with passengers voicing their dissatisfaction over the delays and lack of information. Eva Horsefield, one of the affected passengers, described the chaos: “Thousands of people were stood around outside just being told to queue for baggage, with the only announcements being the same, ‘Thank you for your patience.’ Thousands of people were sat on the cold floor for 6+ hours.”
Katie McGovern shared her harrowing experience after arriving in Manchester from Fuerteventura with her four-year-old daughter at 1:25am local time. They endured long lines for passport control and were directed to another terminal—a 40-minute walk—to retrieve their luggage. “No pram offered, no water, no chair to help get her there. When we did, it was rammed, people running about, nearly taking out my daughter,” she told CNN. Her daughter eventually fell asleep on the floor amid the chaos, and they finally reached home at 8:30am.
While power has been restored, the airport has warned that numerous flights may still be cancelled. Passengers scheduled to fly from Terminals 1 and 2 are advised not to come to the airport until further notice and to contact their airlines. According to the airport’s website, 46 flights departing from Manchester today have been cancelled. Passengers traveling from Terminal 3 should proceed to the airport as usual, although delays may still occur.
The airport is working to get passengers already there onto their flights, but the disruption means that some baggage may not make it onto flights.