A Rawtenstall salon owner had her plane held for over an hour at Manchester Airport due to apparent staff shortages.

Lucie Spencer, 25, who flew out of the struggling airport on Easter Monday (April 18), said customers were dealing with “frustrating” and “annoying” delays.

Ms Spencer, who owns Luciella & Co based on Bacup Road said: “Queues were very long, we were in Terminal 2. They moved consistently but slowly.

“The mood of the airport was generally calm but you could hear people moaning, of course, as it’s not fun standing in queues for so long.

“It’s definitely due to major staff shortage, TUI had basically no check-in desks open, just self check-in, which seemed to cause the huge queue.

“Security was then huge queues as there was only three of eight security lanes open.

“Queues to get in all bars and restaurants, meaning we had to give up to it so as to not miss our flight.

“Still sat on plane, should have taken off at 8.30am but the luggage wasn’t loaded onto the plane in time.”

A Tui spokesperson said: “We can confirm that unfortunately due to staff shortages at Manchester Airport, some customers are experiencing longer-than-usual queue times at check-in. Please be assured that our teams are working as quickly as they can.

“We have contacted all customers due to depart in the next two weeks with advice on travelling with potential wait times in airports and have more information available on our website.”

Videos of chaotic scenes have emerged from security at Manchester Airport, with passengers having faced problems since mid-March when passengers were left waiting for hours, with some forced to queue outside in the car park while others missed their flights.

Managing director Karen Smart stepped down from the Manchester Airport Group on April 5.

They have previously apologised for the delays to passengers and said the industry was "facing staff shortages and recruitment challenges at present, after the most damaging two years in its history".