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A power failure at Stansted Airport has caused delays to the departure of Christmas holidaymakers.

The failure has affected one of the satellite buildings at the Essex airport and the track transit which is used to take passengers to the outer buildings for boarding.

Stansted said neither the main terminal nor the runway were affected and that passengers were being taken by bus to their flights.

Passengers wait at Stansted Airport, Essex, where a power failure has affected transit to boarding terminals

On Christmas Eve last year a power failure caused by flooding at Gatwick airport in West Sussex led to severe delays and a number of flight cancellations.

As efforts continued to restore power, Stansted reported that flights were operating, but with some delays. 

Twitter user Jennie Thomas posted an image shortly before 5.30pm of a packed terminal with the message: 'The scene at Stansted Airport with no flights currently going in or out due to a power failure. Merry Xmas everyone!' 

Elsewhere, Christmas chaos was averted when a strike by airport staff at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airports was been called off this afternoon.

Members of the Unite union working for dnata at the three airports had been due to walk out on Tuesday, but will now vote on revised proposals at a later date to the relief of travellers.

About four million Britons are heading overseas during this festive period, estimated the travel association Abta, a slight increase on last year.

Heathrow is the busiest British departure point with almost 700,000 passengers leaving between December 19 and Christmas Day.

Gatwick is expecting more than 1.7 million passengers to travel through the airport between December 19 and January 5.

Stansted has been listed among the worst airports for festive period delays last year by travel website flightcompensation.com.

Luton Airport was named the worst airport for Christmas flight delays with the majority (56.61 per cent) of all flights that month being delayed by 15 minutes or more.

Stansted was a close second with 54.9 per cent, followed by Gatwick with 54.27 per cent and Heathrow came at ninth with 31.84 per cent.

Manchester (42.28 per cent), Southampton (39.29 per cent) and Bournemouth (38.64 per cent) were also included in the top ten along with private airfield Northolt (50 per cent), Prestwick (35.44 per cent) and Nottingham East Midlands (31.84 per cent).