Runway Defects Cause Chaos and Delays at Bristol Airport

Passengers at Bristol Airport are facing ongoing disruption after a sudden runway closure left hundreds of travellers stranded overnight. If you are due to fly to or from Bristol today, it is worth checking your flight status before you set off for the terminal.

The airport was forced to shut its runway shortly after 18:00 BST on Friday evening because of a surface defect, suspending all flights until 08:00 on Saturday morning. Flights have now resumed, but travellers are still dealing with a backlog of severe delays and a number of diversions.

An official statement on the airport website noted: "There will be some disruption to some flights today. We apologise for any inconvenience caused." The airport has advised anyone affected to get in touch directly with their airline. No official details have been given on the exact nature of the tarmac issue.

What this means for your flight

A runway defect of this kind has a real knock-on effect across the whole schedule, even once flights are moving again. Aircraft and crews end up out of position, so delays and short-notice changes can roll on through the day. The best thing you can do is keep a close eye on live flight information before you travel to the airport.

You can check the current picture on our live boards for Bristol:

Passengers face poor communication and long diversions

Frustrated holidaymakers and travellers spoke to the BBC about the lack of information and support during the shutdown.

Paul Smith, who was forced to cancel his trip to Glasgow for his son's 20th birthday, criticised the handling of the situation on the ground:

The communication, advice and support for passengers has been really poor. What we've heard is that there's a hole in the runway.

He added that the airport tannoy system went completely silent for over an hour, leaving EasyJet staff in the departure lounge as the only source of updates.

For inbound passengers, the disruption was equally severe. Dave Blackwell, who was flying home from Rhodes, described the ordeal as "a shambles" after his flight was diverted across the country:

We were in Rhodes Airport for three hours with no information. Now we have all been told our flight is going to Newcastle and then a five or six hour bus ride - why Newcastle? How appalling.

If your flight was among those diverted north, our Newcastle Airport guide and Newcastle cancelled flights and delays board can help you keep track of onward arrivals.

Delayed or cancelled? You may be able to claim

Disruption caused by a problem at the airport rather than something outside the airline's control, such as extreme weather, can mean you are entitled to compensation on top of your right to care and a refund or re-routing. It is always worth checking where you stand before you write the day off.

If your flight was delayed by three hours or more, or cancelled, our quick flight compensation checker will tell you in about two minutes whether you could be owed up to £520 per person under UK261. Keep hold of your booking reference, boarding passes and any messages from your airline, as these all help support a claim.

Our advice for passengers

If you are due to fly from Bristol today, allow plenty of extra time and check your airline app for the latest status of your flight before leaving home. Keep an eye on the airport's own channels for further updates as the situation develops, and check our Bristol cancelled flights page for the live list of affected services. We will update this page if the picture changes.

Quotes courtesy of the BBC. Image of Bristol Airport for illustration.