British airports have issued warnings to people flying from the UK this month amid outbreaks of chaos at terminals across the country.

Passengers at Birmingham and Manchester airports were forced to queue for hours as a result of staff shortages in the aviation sector.

The situation on Monday morning was described as “absolute chaos” and “manic” by travellers on Twitter.

One person said it took her “two hours to get through check-in and security” and warned for people to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight.

Another threatened legal action against the airport if they miss their flight due to a “lack of management”.

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Long queues have been reported at airports across the UK in recent weeks, including at Heathrow, Manchester and Stansted.

Kidderminster Shuttle: Manchester Airport has warned passengers they will face queues of up to 90 minutes this summer as it does not have enough staff (Alamy Stock Photo/PA)Manchester Airport has warned passengers they will face queues of up to 90 minutes this summer as it does not have enough staff (Alamy Stock Photo/PA)

This has been blamed on a number of factors, including the time it takes for new ground staff to pass security clearance, staff sickness, a lack of Border Force officials and the spike in demand for travel following the end of the UK’s coronavirus restrictions.

Birmingham Airport said in a statement: “Half of the 15,000 customers flying out of BHX (Birmingham Airport) today were booked to depart in our busy dawn peak, so we took the decision to run security queues outside the terminal to avoid them getting tangled with check-in lines.

“Queues were long but managed and moving. We thank customers for their patience.

“As always, our message to departing customers is: Help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners.”

The airport said 43% of its employees were made redundant during the pandemic due to travel restrictions which were lifted in mid-February with no prior warning.

It added that it began a recruitment drive in November 2021.

What happens if you miss your flight

Manchester Airport queues 

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of owner Manchester Airports Group, urged departing travellers to arrive three hours before their flight to avoid missing it.

Passengers have faced long delays and chaotic scenes in recent weeks, with queues trailing outside terminals to reach check-in desks and hordes of people waiting to get through security and to pick up luggage.

Appauled by the situation at Manchester Airport many travellers took to Twitter. 

One person said they would "never travel" through the airport again.

British Airways and easyJet are continuing to cancel flights every day due to staffing issues.

It emerged over the weekend that easyJet is removing six seats from about 50 of its aircraft to enable it to operate them with three members of cabin crew rather than four, as the airline battles a shortage of staff.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, is introducing a rule to allow new aviation recruits to begin training before passing security checks, to reduce the time it takes for them to start work.