On Sunday, Manchester Airport in the UK issued a statement stating that earlier in the day, the airport had been affected by a major power outage, leading to a large number of flights being canceled or delayed. The airport was crowded with passengers waiting to travel.
As one of the busiest airports in the UK, all flights departing from the airport’s two main terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, were canceled due to the power outage.
The airport stated, “Some arriving flights will be diverted to other airports, meaning those picking up passengers should confirm before heading to the airport.”
Furthermore, the airport indicated that passengers flying from Terminal 3 should still arrive at the airport as scheduled, but may experience delays.
According to the BBC, the airport’s managing director, Chris Woodroofe, mentioned that despite power being restored, no flights are expected to depart from the two terminals all day on Wednesday.
Social media videos showed the airport terminals filled with people waiting to board flights.
Woodroofe explained that a “power spike” in the airport’s electrical system caused a malfunction and damaged critical equipment.
He also mentioned that restoration work was ongoing, with the airport expected to “resume normal operations tomorrow.”
“This is a very challenging situation, and I’m deeply sorry,” Woodroofe said.
The airport posted an update on social media platform X at 3:15 pm local time on Sunday, stating that it was “currently restoring operations and flights are expected to resume in the remaining afternoon and evening.”
The airport emphasized the importance of passengers consulting their airlines before heading to the airport. It stated, “We are also working closely with airlines to reschedule canceled flights in the coming days. Flights for tomorrow should not be affected, and passengers should plan to travel to the airport as usual.”
In the affected flights, one flight from Houston, Texas had to divert to London Heathrow Airport, while another flight from Singapore was forced to land at London Gatwick Airport.
The airport is working to get passengers who are already at the airport onto flights, but “the power outage interruption means that in some cases, luggage may not be on these flights.”