Manchester Airport experienced significant disruption late Friday night when an individual breached airfield security, resulting in seven flight diversions and 17 delays. The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Friday, August 21, 2026.
Greater Manchester Police responded to reports of a male on the airside of the airport around 11:21 p.m. The individual was apprehended by airport staff and subsequently arrested by police within approximately 15 minutes. The airfield was temporarily closed for about 15 minutes to manage the situation and repair the breach, according to an airport spokesperson.
During the closure, seven incoming flights were diverted to other airports. easyJet flight 22194 from Zurich was sent to Birmingham, and flight 22002 from Barcelona diverted to Liverpool John Lennon Airport. TUI flights 439 (Boa Vista), 2573 (Corfu), and 2253 (Naples) were rerouted to East Midlands Airport. Ryanair flight 1265 from Agadir diverted to Birmingham, and Jet2 flight 1024 from Faro was sent to Leeds Bradford Airport.
An additional 17 flights experienced delays due to the security incident. Police stated that the incident appears to be related to mental health, and the arrested individual was taken to a hospital for assessment. As of Saturday morning, the airport had returned to normal operations.