Passengers arriving at Manchester airport are having to wait up to one-and-a-half hours for their luggage to be delivered from the aircraft to the carousel.

European deregulation of ground-handling services is causing chaos at some air ports as new companies enter the market and try to compete by cutting costs.

Manchester Airport chief executive Geoff Muirhead, who is also president of the trade body Airport Council International, said standards of service for passengers on the ground were deteriorating at airports across Europe, particularly in areas such as baggage delivery, ensuring luggage trolleys are available, and cleanliness of aircraft.

Muirhead has held a meeting with the European transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio in the last 10 days to try to devise ways to enforce minimum standards on the new companies.

He said that flights arriving late at Manchester often had a particular problem with getting bags back to passengers in a reasonable time - causing a double delay. People are frequently waiting for an hour after landing before they are reunited with their luggage and an hour-and-a-half is not untypical, he said.

• Manchester Airport has predicted that its new second runway will help it overtake Gatwick to become Britain's second busiest airport within 15 years.