HUNDREDS of passengers flying to America were delayed for seven hours in the chaos caused by the power black-out at Manchester Airport.

An American Airlines flight was left on the tarmac because a system failure meant the passenger manifest could not be sent by computer to the US immigration authorities.

Airline staff had to send it by fax and the plane, which was due to leave at around 11am yesterday eventually took off at 6pm.

Other flights across the Atlantic were delayed but not for as long.

A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport said: "There was a delay of about seven hours on one American Airlines flight.

"Because of the way they have to register all passengers, they weren't able to check them in using the usual system."

Flights were returning to normal last night following the problems caused by a power outrage in all three terminals at about 5.30am yesterday.

It was caused by a flood in an electrical plant room in one of the office buildings.

Power was restored at 8am, but as a result 48 domestic and European flights were cancelled and a number of flights were delayed. Holidaymakers joined queues that stretched out of the doors, many waiting more than four hours to check in manually.

Hundreds crammed into the terminal buildings and huge piles of bags littered the floor.

An airport spokesman said: "Unfortunately, the flood happened in a critical `plant' room and it tripped out substations across the airport.

"They then had to be checked and reset," he said.