Manchester Airport sorry as huge queues lead to missed flights

Manchester Airport has apologised after huge security queues caused passengers to miss flights.

Hundreds of travellers were left waiting for hours earlier, with many venting their frustrations online.

The airport said unexpectedly high passenger numbers put "considerable strain" on staff while 60% of bags had been rejected at security.

Passenger Paul Keegan said everyone was "tired and upset" after he waited five hours to board a flight.

Mr Keegan, who was flying to Dublin with his son, described the airport as "one of the most chaotic in the world".

He told BBC North West Tonight people were "screaming, annoyed and frustrated", with problems first beginning on Wednesday night.

"I felt quite sorry for the staff because people were being abusive and loud. This place is never enjoyable," he added.

Mr Keegan said he managed to finally board a flight after the captain waited for passengers and told them she was not prepared to leave anyone behind.

Hundreds of passengers were forced to queue in the car park outside the airport on Thursday morning.

Kelly Foran, BBC North West Tonight

There were hundreds of people in the car park of Terminal 1 earlier.

Frustrated passengers had already checked their bags in but were then forced to go back outside the airport to join the queue for security.

It was difficult to see where the back of the line was as it snaked around the car park three times.

People had been out there for more than an hour before even joining the queue inside.

Mike Wood was delayed for two hours trying to make his connection through Heathrow Airport to Chicago.

He said he was "absolutely frustrated" and the experience had "put him off travelling completely".

"Our flight has been held because of the numbers of passengers stuck before security," he added.

"The airport must have known months ahead how volumes of people were increasing after lockdown."

A spokesman for the airport said the "rapid recovery of international travel" meant it had been "more difficult to predict passenger volumes".

"We would like to apologise to those impacted by the challenges and assure them we are doing all we can to rectify the situation," he added.

The airport urged those travelling to arrive at the earliest recommended time by their airline.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]