Update issued for Manchester airport passengers as Birmingham travellers warned to 'be prepared'

Manchester Airport is anticipated to run as normal after a significant power cut wreaked havoc for passengers over the weekend. The power failure hit the airport early on Sunday morning (June 23), throwing thousands of passengers' travel plans into turmoil as flights out of Terminals 1 and 2 were axed 'until further notice'.

Meanwhile, passengers flying from Birmingham Airport have been warned that they are likely to see more queues and delays on Monday (June 24). It comes after the sweeping disruption at Manchester Airport resulted in passengers being advised to keep clear of the airport.

Although power was eventually re-established, baggage and security systems suffered ongoing issues throughout the day, causing delays and cancellations for thousands of travellers. According to Manchester Evening News, passengers were also facing 'very long queues' at security, with images showing vast piles of luggage building up.

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Despite an immediate response from the airport's back-up generator when the main system went down, the situation was faced with further difficulties as power was cutting out multiple times and then resuming. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.

The managing director of Manchester Airport, Chris Woodroofe, said there had been 'a big power spike' in the airport's electrical system due to 'a failure'. He added: "That's damaged some really key equipment for our departure security and our departures baggage systems".

Mr Woodroofe had expressed 'sincere apologies' to everyone affected at the airport. He said: "It's a very difficult situation, I couldn't be more sorry". However, in a statement released at about 9pm on Sunday evening, Manchester Airport's official account informed that Monday's flight schedule was anticipated to proceed without disruption.

Travellers are still advised to verify their flight's status prior to departure. The airport further stated that airlines would contact passengers regarding rescheduling of any cancelled flights, while baggage handlers are aiming to ensure that any luggage not loaded onto aircraft will be returned to its owners promptly. The message reads: "We would like to apologise to all those affected by the disruption in Terminals 1 and 2 today.

"[Monday's] schedule is expected to run as normal, checking-in two hours ahead of their flight for short-haul, and three hours for long-haul. It is always advisable to check the status of your flight before you travel to the airport.

"Airlines will be in touch with passengers to rearrange cancelled flights as we work with airlines, their baggage handling agents and other partners to make sure passengers whose bags did not make it onto their flights are reunited with their belongings as soon as possible. We thank passengers for their patience today and we would also like to thank all of our staff, airlines and outside partners for their hard work and resilience."

At Birmingham Airport, people have been warned that they are likely to see more queues and delays. The boss of BHS have told passengers to 'be prepared' ahead of their flights. It comes after a last-minute flip-flop on changes to the 100ml rule, as well as ongoing construction work at the airport, have caused weeks of chaos and travel disruption, Birmingham Live has reported.

Thousands of holidaymakers have reportedly experienced queues of up to two hours just to get to security. In response however, the airport has thrown a series of measures to tackle the queues, such as "liquid check stations" which have been installed to encourage travellers to be prepared for their bag checks as they line up.

According to Birmingham Live, the worst time of day for these queues tends to be from 4am to 6am. While pre-booked fast-track passes are being used by some passengers to skip the line, most are being advised to arrive well ahead of time.