Dozens of flights cancelled after Manchester Airport hit by major power cut
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Many travelers flying in and out of Manchester airport are experiencing extended wait times and canceled flights due to a significant power outage that disrupted important airport operations.
Electricity went out in a part of southern Manchester, including the airport, at approximately 1:30 am on Sunday. Terminal 3, the smallest one, has been fixed and is now operating again, but there are some delays.
However, the larger terminals, specifically terminals 1 and 2, are experiencing significant delays and a growing amount of travelers.
In an effort to manage the number of people in the airport and return to normal operations, airlines have been instructed to cancel a large number of flights for the next few hours later today.
The goal is to quickly evacuate passengers already at the airport and then try to get back on track with the schedule for the rest of the day.
The airlines operating in Terminal 1 are Aer Lingus, easyJet, Emirates, Etihad, and Turkish Airlines.
In Terminal 2, you will find major airlines such as Air France, Cathay Pacific, KLM, Singapore Airlines, Tui, and Virgin Atlantic.
Jet2 and Aer Lingus both have flights departing from Terminals 1 and 2.
The initial flight scheduled for departure on easyJet to Kefallonia at 5.15am has been delayed and is now projected to leave at 9.30am.
EasyJet has already eliminated early morning flights to Malaga, Milan, Venice, and Paris CDG, along with flights to Belfast International, Belfast City, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.
A KLM flight to Amsterdam that many passengers use to connect to other flights has been canceled. More cancellations are anticipated throughout the day.
Planes coming from Abu Dhabi and Dubai were redirected to Birmingham, while flights from Beijing and Bahrain arrived at Heathrow.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa touched down in Ostend, Belgium before continuing on to Manchester.
The plane from Frankfurt operated by Lufthansa arrived in Liverpool.
Derek Flint, who lives in Lytham, is currently taking a flight with Jet2 from Manchester to Barcelona to catch a cruise departing later today. He mentioned that the situation was very disorganized and busy. He explained to The Independent that they got to the airport three hours before their 8am flight, but were informed that they couldn't check their bags in yet. After waiting for around 90 minutes, they were finally able to drop off their bags, which were then put into a large pile.
"We successfully passed through security, but now we are concerned about whether our luggage will arrive safely."
Afterwards, he was informed that his luggage was not placed on the plane.
The breakdown occurred at a very inconvenient time during a hectic day. Manchester Airport had plans to manage approximately 600 flights and 100,000 passengers on that day, with a significant number leaving in the early morning "first wave" starting at 5:15am.
According to the regulations on passengers' rights, airlines are required to transport passengers from cancelled flights to their destination promptly and also offer lodging and accommodations until they are able to continue their journey.
The cost is expected to reach several million pounds.
The airport announced that there was a big power outage in the area this morning which has caused a lot of trouble. Many flights, especially those from Terminals 1 and 2, are likely to be late or cancelled as a result.
Travelers flying out of Terminals 1 or 2 should reach out to their airlines for the latest updates before heading to the airport today.
Travelers scheduled to depart from Terminal 3 are advised to arrive at the airport at the usual time, unless told otherwise by their airline. However, they should be aware that there may be delays.
"We are sorry for the trouble and we are working to get everything back to normal as quickly as we can."
Ryanair and British Airways flights are experiencing delays departing from Terminal 3.
