After a technical issue shut down electronic border gates at airports across the nation on Saturday, travelers coming into the U.K. were subjected to hours-long waits on what was anticipated to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The Home Office, the government body in charge of immigration and borders, stated that it was addressing a “nationwide border system issue,” although it made no mention of the cause of the issue.
As unhappy visitors posted images of lengthy lines at airports like Manchester in the north of England and London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, on social media, airport managers begged for patience and apologized for the delays. As a three-day weekend and the beginning of a weeklong break for the majority of British schools combine, travel is anticipated to be particularly crowded during the coming few days.
The Home Office issued a statement saying, “We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the U.K.” “We are coordinating with port operators and airlines to minimize disruption for travelers while working to address the issue as soon as possible.”
Passenger Marc Baret was among those who were impacted. He claimed to have a reservation on a flight via Heathrow from Chicago to Manchester, but the flight was postponed, he told the BBC. He attempted to exit the airport to catch a train but got caught in a protracted passport line-up.
At passport control, “there was complete chaos,” he added. “People were getting really impatient, and a few people tried to cut the line. One of the passengers passed out and the police had to intervene.
The issues, which started on Friday night, come as U.K. airports, airlines, and ferry companies work to restore public trust after a slew of mishaps last summer during a spike in international travel following the coronavirus outbreak.
Automated self-service barriers called electronic passport gates are used to process travel documents more quickly. The method uses face recognition technology to check a traveler’s identity against the information contained in the passport chip.
According to the Home Office, there are currently 270 such gates at 15 air and rail ports in the United Kingdom. Anyone over 12 with a passport from the United Kingdom, any member state of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, or the United States is eligible.
The Home Office estimates that 86% of those who enter the United Kingdom annually are qualified to utilize electronic gates.
Airports like Heathrow and others pledged to take all reasonable measures to reduce traffic.
Heathrow issued a statement saying, “We are aware of a national issue affecting the eGates, which are operated by Border Force.” “This problem is not limited to Heathrow; it affects many ports of entry. Our teams are collaborating closely with Border Force to find a swift solution to the issue, and we have extra staff members on standby to manage the line and ensure passenger wellbeing.
