Intruder briefly halts operations at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport briefly halted flight operations on the evening of August 21 after a man got onto the airfield without authorisation, according to a local report. The apron area was closed at around 23:21 local time for roughly 15 minutes as a precaution.

Seven flights were diverted to other airports because of the closure, and a further 17 aircraft were held in holding patterns waiting for clearance to land, the report said.

Police attended and detained the man. He was then taken to hospital for examination, though the report did not say what prompted that.

A section of the airport's perimeter fence was found damaged during the incident. Airport authorities have since repaired it. No further details were given about the intruder's identity or motive, and it remains unclear how he reached the airfield.

Operations resumed shortly after the apron reopened. The diversions and holding delays would still have had knock-on effects for passengers and airline schedules that evening.