Exhausted passengers were said to be sleeping on the floor amid long waits for luggage while other frustrated holidaymakers waited two hours to disembark the plane.

Their flight was also delayed on takeoff due to a “lack of ground staff” at Birmingham Airport. The down-staffed airport – which has lost 43% of its workforce due to pandemic layoffs – has struggled to recruit fast enough to cope with a surge in passenger numbers since Covid travel restrictions were lifted in March .

New security staff were due to start work in early June to help keep the queues moving. But there have been warnings staffing levels at the airport may not fully recover until the fall.

Read more: Birmingham airport passengers ‘angry and exhausted’ after hours of waiting for luggage

A passenger said he faced a two-hour delay getting off the plane Friday night. And that followed after waiting hours before going on vacation due to a lack of ground staff at the airport.

Others said vacationers were so tired they fell asleep on the floor while waiting for baggage claim. While some parties last night were more successful – and told how the airport operated like a ‘well-oiled machine’.

This is a live blog, we will update it with the latest airport news, including statements from BHX.