Travel chaos erupted at UK airports on Sunday as passengers faced sleeping on floors, snaking queues, and mountains of abandoned luggage. Images from Heathrow Terminal 2 showed piles of bags cordoned off, while at Manchester and Stansted airports, passengers were forced to sleep on the floor with their luggage.
The disruption comes ahead of planned strike action by around 700 British Airways ground staff at Heathrow, which the GMB Union said is 'likely to be during the peak summer holiday period'. The union warned of 'massive disruption' due to BA's 'pig-headedness'. Downing Street said further strikes would 'only add to the misery' and promised to examine contingency measures.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary blamed the current airport chaos on Brexit, calling it an 'abject failure' and claiming labour shortages are behind the disruption. He said: 'It's completely to do with Brexit... If we can't attract people to do those jobs... we're going to have to bring in workers from Ireland or the continent.' Transport Secretary Grant Shapps denied Brexit was to blame, instead accusing airlines of 'seriously overselling' flights post-pandemic.
O'Leary warned that delays and cancellations will continue 'right throughout the summer', with some airlines cancelling between 5% and 10% of flights. He advised passengers to expect a 'less than satisfactory experience' as airports suffer staff shortages across air traffic control, baggage handling, and security.
