A runway defect at Bristol Airport has left passengers stranded as all flights are suspended.
Hundreds of people were stuck last night and this morning in packed terminals.
Passengers said communication from the airport has been ‘poor’, adding they have heard there was a hole in the runway.
Paul Smith, who was trying to travel for his son’s 20th birthday, said: ‘The communication, advice and support for passengers has been really poor.
‘What we’ve heard is that there’s a hole in the runway.’
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Posts on X show those stranded at the airport to ‘let them out’, describing it as a ‘hostage situation’.
Passenger Richard Broadbent told the BBC: ‘Suddenly all flights were cancelled and all passengers were moved to one place down at ground level, and it was absolutely packed.
‘Then alarms started going off, people were screaming and passengers were trying to break out, there was no staff.’
Arrival flights are also being diverted to London, Birmingham and Cardiff.
A Bristol Airport spokesperson 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.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience. Safety is always our number one priority,’ they added.
‘Customers should refer to their airlines with any flight queries.’
People in Birmingham Airport have also been left without their luggage, with one passenger describing it as ‘utter carnage’.
Eve Sandle told the BBC she had travelled to Turkey with her mum and they had been left ‘with only the clothes we are standing in’.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: ‘We are continuing to experience an issue with our baggage systems which is impacting some outbound luggage.
‘Engineers are on site and working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Terminal colleagues are also working hard to ensure baggage in terminal is being processed as quickly as possible.
‘We expect this to cause inconvenience for some passengers, and we sincerely apologise for this. Those due to travel today, should still arrive at the airport in line with Airline advice.’
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