All flights from terminals one and two at Manchester Airport were cancelled on Sunday after a significant power cut in the early hours, leaving hundreds of holidaymakers stranded. The airport advised passengers due to travel from those terminals not to come to the airport, and warned those on the few flights that did depart that their luggage might not be on board.
More than 60 departures—about a quarter of all flights scheduled for Sunday—were cancelled, along with 50 inbound flights. The airport said power had been restored but the outage had affected key systems, including boarding card processing and baggage screening, causing significant delays.
Hundreds of suitcases were piled in front of check-in desks as the baggage system remained inoperable. Many passengers queued for hours hoping to board flights still listed on departure boards. Tensions ran high, with announcements asking those on cancelled flights to leave the airport and contact their airlines from home. Virgin Atlantic, Jet2 and easyJet were among the carriers affected.
Rick and Sue Newby, from Macclesfield, arrived at 5am for an easyJet flight to Lanzarote, which was cancelled. They rebooked on a Jet2 flight, only for that also to be cancelled. “We paid nearly £500 extra for new flights to get out there today,” said Sue. “And they let me book that at 11.30am this morning. Oh my God, I can’t believe it. We have been here since 5am.”
Many passengers said they travelled to the airport after being assured their flights were running, only to learn after midday that all flights from terminals one and two were cancelled. Paula and Meredydd Williams, from Eryri (Snowdonia), heard about the power cut only after arriving. “If we’d known sooner, we could have stayed at home,” said Paula. “We’ve had hardly any information.”
Passengers also reported being told they could not take hold luggage on flights that did go ahead. Sharon Hudson, waiting for a flight to Egypt, said: “How are we supposed to go on holiday for two weeks with just hand luggage? If they put us on a later flight with our luggage I would be fine with that. But if you go without it, it could be a week before it turns up, if ever.”
