Manchester Airport CEO Chris Woodroofe has apologised to passengers caught up in Sunday’s chaos after a local power cut caused widespread disruption.
In a video recorded outside the airport, he made his ‘sincere, personal apologies to every single passenger who has been impacted by what has gone on at Manchester Airport today’.
The power, which went out at around 01:30 on Sunday morning, was restored about five hours later, but the airport said it would take time to get systems up and running again.
Passengers travelling from Terminals 1 and 2 were originally warned to contact their airlines for up-to-date information before coming to the airport. MAN said Terminal 3 passengers should go to the airport as normal, unless advised otherwise by their airline, but warned they could be affected by delays.
Then, at around 12:15, the airport said all flights from T1 and T2 were cancelled until further notice; passengers should not come to the airport and should stay in touch with their airlines. Its guidance to T3 passengers remained the same – that they should come to the airport as normal unless otherwise advised.
However, it warned T3 passengers could still be affected by delays, and some baggage may not be on flights. In addition, it said some inbound flights were being diverted to other airports, and advised people coming to pick up inbound passengers to check before setting out.
Later in the afternoon, Manchester Airport said it was ‘in the process of resuming operations’, adding it expected flights to restart during the remainder of the afternoon and evening. It added: “Flights schedules for tomorrow [Monday] should be unaffected and passengers due to travel should plan to come to the airport as usual.”
The restart was too late for Jet2 passengers, who were told in the early afternoon that all remaining Manchester flights on Sunday were being cancelled.
Jet2 said it had ‘no choice but to cancel all remaining flights departing from Manchester Airport’ on Sunday.
In a Twitter post at 13:40, it said: “We have contacted all affected customers to let them know their options, and they will of course receive a full refund should they wish. We are extremely sorry to have to take this decision, however the disruption left us with no other choice.
“Our teams are working incredibly hard to communicate with, and look after, our customers and they will continue to do so.”
MAN is still advising passengers to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport.
