UK

Passport e-gate failures cause delays at UK airports for bank holiday travellers

Arriving passengers report delays of several hours at major hubs including Heathrow and Gatwick

People queue to check in at Heathrow Airport after British Airways was forced to cancel dozens of flights after IT problems. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
People queue to check in at Heathrow Airport after British Airways was forced to cancel dozens of flights after IT problems. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images
Sat May 27 2023 - 12:15

Failures with passport e-gate systems at UK airports are causing long delays for people arriving into the country for the bank holiday weekend.

Travellers have described queues of several hours at a number of airports including Heathrow and Gatwick as arrivals need to have their passports checked by hand rather than the automated machines.

The problems come as millions are expected to be on the move this weekend.

One traveller arriving at Heathrow posted on Twitter: “Just landed to scenes of utter chaos. 2 hour queues just to get to the real queue. Gates broken.”

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Another passenger at Gatwick described the situation as an “utter joke”.

A Gatwick Airport spokesman said the problem started on Friday evening but queues had eased on Saturday morning.

“Some passengers may experience delays at immigration due to a nationwide issue with UK Border Force e-gates,” he said.

“Our staff are working with UK Border Force – who operate passport control including the e-gates – to provide assistance to passengers where necessary.”

Nationwide issue

Heathrow Airport posted on Twitter: “We are aware of a nationwide issue impacting the eGates, which are operated by Border Force.

“This issue is impacting a number of ports of entry and is not Heathrow specific.

“Our teams are working closely with Border Force to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible and we have additional colleagues on hand to manage queues and provide passenger welfare. We apologise for any impact this is having to passenger journeys.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said that the Border Force had put in place “robust plans” to deploy officers to minimise disruption and wait times.

The automated e-gate system is available for British citizens aged over 12 and those from the EU, as well as people from several other countries including Australia, Canada, the US, Japan and New Zealand.

The spokeswoman said: “We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the UK.

“We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and are liaising with port operators and airlines to minimise disruption for travellers.”

The problems come after British Airways had to cancel 175 flights following an IT failure on Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, long queues have been experienced at Dover which has also experienced IT problems.

The Port of Dover posted on Twitter: “Thank you for your patience as we catch up from earlier IT issues at border control, which have been resolved. Traffic now processing well through border. Average waiting times for cars and coaches now 90 mins.” - PA