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Bristol Airport chaos: Flights resume after runway defect strands hundreds

Published 11:16 9 Aug 2026 BST

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Bristol Airport chaos: Flights resume after runway defect strands hundreds

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Flights were suspended.

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded overnight after Bristol Airport suspended all flights following a defect on its runway, with departures cancelled and inbound services diverted before operations restarted on Saturday morning.

What happened at Bristol Airport:

The airport closed its runway shortly after 6pm on Friday and suspended operations until 8am on Saturday to carry out emergency repairs on the “defect”.

Inbound flights were diverted to London, Birmingham and Cardiff, leaving packed terminals overnight. Flights have since restarted, though passengers face continued delays and diversions — part of a run of UK airport disruption to hit travellers this summer.

Operations have resumed on Saturday morning, according to the Independent.

Travellers criticised the airport’s handling of the disruption.

Paul Smith, trying to travel for his son’s 20th birthday, told reporters the communication had been “really poor”, adding: “What we’ve heard is that there’s a hole in the runway.”

There will be some disruption to some flights today. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Safety is always our number one priority.

A Bristol Airport spokesperson urged anyone caught up in the disruption to contact their airline.

As the BBC reported, flights were beginning to depart again on Saturday, but passengers should expect knock-on delays throughout the day.

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