Birmingham Airport is grappling with a second day of baggage system failures, leaving numerous passengers without their luggage upon arrival. The Midlands hub first reported issues with its onward luggage systems on Friday, August 7, and the problem persists into Saturday, August 8.
Passengers left without belongings
One traveller, Eve Sandle, told the BBC that she and her mother were left "with only the clothes we are standing in" after flying from Birmingham to Dalaman, Turkey. The pilot announced that no luggage had been loaded onto the plane, and a subsequent text from airline TUI stated that "some of your bags on TOM810 may not have arrived today." Sandle disputed this, saying, "The text couldn't be further from the truth, they knew no cases were on that plane."
Another passenger reported dozens of missing bags on a flight to Ibiza. The Made in Brum Podcast posted on X: "30 missing cases on the Ibiza plane. The conveyor belts broke yesterday. Still not repaired today. Where is the 4-hour emergency call-out repair? Didn’t have the parts we were told. How can engineers servicing the airport not have basic emergency replacement parts on hand?"
Airport statement and ongoing repairs
In an update issued just before 5.45am on Saturday, the airport 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 the 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."
The airport is set to manage more than 2.5 million passengers during the summer holidays, according to a Getty Images stock photo caption. The disruption comes at a peak travel time, exacerbating the impact on holidaymakers.
Impact on travellers and advice
Passengers affected by the issue are advised to contact their airlines for information about their baggage. The airport has not provided a timeline for when the baggage systems will be fully operational, but engineers remain on site.
This is the second day of disruption, with the initial failure occurring on Friday. The airport's apology underscores the inconvenience caused, but the lack of spare parts, as highlighted by the Made in Brum Podcast, raises questions about preparedness.
As the situation develops, travellers are urged to check with their airlines before heading to the airport. The airport's statement reassures that terminal staff are processing baggage as quickly as possible, but the backlog may take time to clear.
For those who have been affected, Birmingham Mail has requested details via email at jasbir.authi@reachplc.com to gather more information on the scale of the problem.
