Chaos at Manchester Airport as passengers stuck in 'sweatbox' plane amid huge delays

Passengers say they were forced to wait an hour on a sweltering plane after landing, as more pictures emerge of the 'chaotic' scenes caused by delays at Manchester airport.

One customer, who had been on board a TUI flight from Turin to Manchester on Sunday, called the plane a 'sweatbox' with passengers left sat in their seats.

She said: "We were stuck on the plane for 50 minutes and the pilot was on the phone to the airport continually. It was absolutely boiling. We were all sweating for nearly an hour."

Another passenger on the same flight, said it was 'like an oven', adding: "I am glad I don't suffer from panic attacks or anything like that because it was stifling.

"The plane crew seemed to be doing everything they could but we were told there were not enough ground crew to put the chocks behind the wheels. It was ridiculous."

Videos shared to social media also showed crowds of passengers slumped over their suitcases or lying down on the floor as they waited for their bags for as long as two hours.

Councillor Pat Karney, from Manchester City Council, said the airport's reputation is "nose diving" and bosses need to find a solution.

He wrote: "We all expected challenges as the Airport returns to normality.

"The operational staff are working around the clock. Manchester Council need to meet with Airport bosses to seek urgent improvements."

Manchester Airport recently warned they could be facing queues for ‘several weeks’ to come after admitting they are struggling with staff shortages amid a surge in international travel.

Earlier this month, it emerged firefighters had been asked to help on the baggage conveyors.

A letter was sent also sent to airport employees asking if they could volunteer to help out to manage queues.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said the airport is experiencing staff shortages and working to recruit more staff.

"We want to apologise to all customers who have been impacted by queues at Manchester Airport", the spokesperson said.

"We are experiencing staff shortages as we - and the rest of our industry - work hard to keep pace with a significant surge in demand for travel after the removal of restrictions in recent weeks.

"There has been a large increase in passenger numbers following the start of the travel industry’s summer season, and the situation has been exacerbated by a significant spike in covid-related sickness in recent days.

"That has meant that, while waiting times were kept to a minimum for the majority of the weekend, these factors have combined to place our operation under extreme pressure this morning.

"We are doing all we can to recruit the number of colleagues we need to support the remobilisation of our operations after the biggest crisis our industry has ever faced.

"Customers are advised to arrive at the earliest time their airline allows them to check-in and to ensure they are familiar with the latest rules around what they can and can’t carry through security.

"We would like to thank all our teams for their dedication during these challenging times and, once again, apologise to passengers impacted by delays.”