Cut Telstra cable cripples check-in for Virgin Blue

More than 4000 passengers have been left stranded at Melbourne Airport after a computer breakdown forced the cancellation of 47 Virgin Blue flights and delayed dozens more.

A damaged cable under the airport brought down the airline's telecommunications service provider, crippling its passenger check-in process since lunchtime (AEDT) on Tuesday.

Passengers are being checked in and boarded manually, creating a massive delay and a huge backlog.

Telstra was working on the cable problem but there was no resolution in sight by 9pm (AEDT), Virgin Blue spokeswoman Amanda Bolger said. "We have arranged overnight accommodation for our guests who are not Melbourne-based," she told AAP.

"Those who are based in Melbourne have gone home and will, hopefully, be placed on flights tomorrow.

"We're still processing passengers but it's very slow. It's very unfortunate but we are working around the clock to alleviate the backlog." Ms Bolger said Wednesday's flight schedule was likely to be affected.

"Flights will be impacted tomorrow but we are getting back on track as soon as possible and we are especially hopeful that the Telstra issue will be fixed as well."

Those flights managing to leave Melbourne were facing delays ranging from minutes to a couple of hours, Ms Bolger said.

All domestic destinations have been affected but trips to Sydney have been the worst hit.

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