Passengers arriving in Britain experienced significant delays on Saturday, May 27 as a nationwide problem impacted the automated border control gates responsible for scanning passports upon entry. Distressed travellers took to social media, sharing images of long queues comprising hundreds of people at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Many affected passengers have expressed frustration at enduring hours-long waits in line.
Recognizing the severity of the situation, Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Britain, promptly deployed additional staff to manage the queues and collaborated with Border Force in an effort to resolve the issue. While some foreign visitors must interact with a border control officer upon arrival, others, including British, EU, and U.S. citizens, are permitted to utilize the automated gates, also known as e-gates, for passport scanning and entry into the country.
As a consequence of this disruption, all passengers are currently being processed through manual checkpoints, further exacerbating the situation. These delays come at a time of heightened travel activity in Britain, with the upcoming spring bank holiday on Monday and a school half-term break next week.
British airlines and airports have encountered various challenges in the past year, including strikes involving airport staff and Border Force workers, as well as flight cancellations resulting from staff shortages during the previous summer.
