Manchester Airport experienced significant disruptions on Sunday due to a power outage, causing delays and flight cancellations affecting thousands of passengers.
The airport management confirmed via a statement that the outage primarily impacted Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, while Terminal 3 remained operational albeit with potential delays.
The incident was detailed in a two-phase update titled “Information for Passengers Power Outage: Update”.
“Following the power cut that affected Manchester Airport and the surrounding area earlier this morning, passengers due to travel from Terminals 1 and 2 are advised to contact their airlines before coming to the airport as a number of flights are likely to be cancelled.
“Power has been restored and we are working to get those passengers already at the airport onto flights as soon as possible.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. Our customer service and resilience teams are working hard to keep passengers in the airport updated, along with our airline colleagues.
“Passengers flying from Terminal 3 should come to the airport as usual, although flights are subject to some delays,” it read.
According to the statement, all passengers are advised to contact their airlines for updated information before coming to the airport.
“Passengers due to travel from Terminals 1 or 2 today are advised to contact their airlines for up-to-date information before coming to the airport.
“Passengers due to fly from Terminal 3 should come to the airport as normal unless advised otherwise by their airline but could be affected by delays.
“We apologise for any inconvenience and aim to restore normal service as soon as possible.”
The failure has taken place at one of the worst possible times on a particularly busy day. Manchester was expecting to handle around 600 flights and 100,000 passengers – with many of them departing in the “first wave” from as early as 5:15 a.m.
One person wrote, “Utter disgrace, the airport should have backup systems/generators for this sort of scenario. Expect the unexpected.
“In general, this airport is a shambles and needs major investment. I don’t see how a power cut causes a toilet blockage across T1. Management should resign.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Manchester Airport said, “A significant number of flights today are likely to be cancelled.
“The advice is for passengers expecting to travel today not to come to the airport without having checked with their airline first.”
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