MANCHESTER — Seven flights were forced to divert and at least 17 others were held in holding patterns overnight following a major security breach at Manchester Airport, after an unauthorized individual managed to enter the airfield.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to the airport at approximately 11:20 p.m. on Friday after receiving reports that a man had encroached onto the active airfield area. Flight tracking platforms showed multiple incoming aircraft circling above the Peak District as air traffic controllers suspended arrivals.
An airport spokesperson confirmed that the disruption lasted roughly 15 minutes before officers apprehended the individual. The man was subsequently taken to a hospital for assessment, with officials noting the incident was mental health-related.
Major Knock-On Disruption for Late-Night Flights
While the security breach itself was brought under control within minutes, the operational disruption triggered widespread delays across the region’s air network.
Seven inbound flights were forced to divert to alternative UK hubs due to fuel constraints and closed airspace:
- East Midlands Airport: Took three diverted TUI flights, including flight BY439 from Boa Vista (Cape Verde)—which declared a general emergency (squawk 7700) due to low fuel—and flight BY2573 from Corfu.
- Birmingham Airport: Received a Ryanair flight from Agadir, Morocco, as well as an easyJet service from Zurich.
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport: Handled easyJet flight U22002 arriving from Barcelona.
- Leeds Bradford Airport: Received Jet2 flight LS1024 from Faro.
Passengers described scenes of confusion in the sky and extended wait times on tarmac ramps. One traveler aboard the diverted TUI flight from Cape Verde reported on social media that the plane completed around seven holding loops over Manchester before aircrew made the decision to divert to East Midlands to refuel.
In total, around 17 incoming flights were held in the air, creating a severe bottleneck for late-night arrivals that pushed arrival times several hours past their scheduled landing windows into early Saturday morning.
Airport Operations Restored
Manchester Airport confirmed that a temporary physical fix has been implemented at the point of access while a review into the security lapse takes place. Flight operations returned to normal schedule by Saturday morning.
“The incident was resolved quickly with the individual safely detained and taken to hospital,” a spokesperson for Manchester Airport said. “Operations have returned to normal, and we thank passengers for their patience during the brief suspension.”
