Passengers have been left “screaming” as a major UK airport has cancelled all flights and ordered arrival flights elsewhere as it deals with a suspected runway defect.
Bristol Airport remains in turmoil today with all operations at a standstill, with the suspension of flights now stretching into a second day.
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The airport initially halted departures and arrivals from 18:08pm on Friday evening, with the closure originally set to last until 08:00am on Saturday.
That deadline has since been pushed back to at least 08:00am, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded with no clear indication of when normal service might resume.
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The airport has cited the need for urgent inspection and repair work on an affected section of the runway, though officials have declined to provide any further detail about what caused the problem. Passengers have described the defect simply as “a hole in the runway.”
Scenes inside the terminal on Friday night were described as deeply distressing by those caught up in the disruption. Richard Broadbent, who had been due to travel to Newcastle at around 19:00pm with his partner and daughter, recounted what his family experienced after becoming trapped in the building.
“She said suddenly all flights were cancelled and all passengers were moved to one place down at ground level, and it was absolutely packed,” he told the BBC.
“Then alarms started going off, people were screaming and passengers were trying to break out, there was no staff.”
Mr Broadbent said his family member was visibly shaken by the ordeal. “She was ever so upset, I could hear people screaming on the phone,” he added.
One passenger took to X to plead with EasyJet directly, writing: “@easyJet holding everyone hostage at Bristol Airport! Let us out! Let us out! Communication is appalling.”
The lack of information from airport authorities drew sharp criticism from stranded passengers. Paul Smith, whose trip to Glasgow for his son’s 20th birthday had to be abandoned, described the situation as unacceptable.
“The communication, advice and support for passengers has been really poor,” he told the BBC.
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For more than an hour, no announcements were made over the tannoy system, he said, meaning travellers in the departure lounge had to rely entirely on EasyJet representatives for updates.
“What we’ve heard is that there’s a hole in the runway,” Mr Smith added.
He was among many passengers left scrambling in the baggage reclaim area. “At the moment I’m in baggage return with lots of other people desperately trying to find my bags,” he said.
Another traveller posted on X: “@BristolAirport Hi, what’s happening tonight? We are stuck in the airport with no clear guidance for 3 hours. Any information would be appreciated.”
In a statement posted to its website, a Bristol Airport spokesman said: “Due to a defect on the runway, we have temporarily suspended operations as a precaution, in order to inspect and repair the section affected.”
The airport stressed that safety remained its foremost priority and directed passengers to contact their airlines regarding individual flight queries.
EasyJet separately issued a warning that travellers flying to and from Bristol should anticipate continued disruption.
Flights that had been heading towards Bristol on Friday evening were rerouted to London Gatwick, Birmingham and Cardiff, according to Airport Webcams, which tracks live airport feeds on X.
At the time of writing, no explanation has been given as to what caused the defect.
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