Anger over airports’ passport e-gates not working

Passengers flying into the UK have expressed their anger over delays as passport e-gates across the country have not been working all day.

The issue at airports, including Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick, began on Friday night.

The Home Office said it was working with airlines and port operators to minimise disruption from the “nationwide border system issue”.

It said the e-gates were now starting to come back on.

A Home Office source told the BBC the gates would be switched on in the busiest spots first and the IT issue had now been resolved.

Not all will be switched back on straight away and the source could not say which specific sites would be first.

All airports across the country using the technology have been affected.

The e-gate system speeds up passport control by allowing some passengers to scan their own passports. It uses facial recognition to verify identity and captures the traveller’s image.

People flying into the UK are having to get their passports checked manually, with larger airports with e-gates most affected.

Marc Baret had been booked on a flight from Chicago to Manchester via Heathrow, but told BBC News he had changed his plans when he was left waiting for more than two hours at the London airport.

He said: “It was absolute chaos at passport control. There were people getting really frustrated and a couple of individuals tried to jump queues, the police had to get engaged and one of the passengers fainted.”

Another passenger, arriving at Gatwick, said the situation was an “utter joke”.

Stephen, who declined to share his second name, waited for two-and-a-half hours at Bristol airport on Saturday afternoon without any access to water.

He said: “It was very hot, there was only one water bottle fill opportunity in the Arrivals hallways, and nothing in the immigration hall itself.

“I didn’t have a water bottle to top up so was very thirsty afterwards.”

One man said he had to wait in the queue at Luton Airport for more than two hours on Saturday. Craig Pullen also told the BBC it was “very poor” that travellers were not being given regular updates on the issues with the e-gates, or being told how long it would take to clear passport control.

Bobby Lane waited three hours at passport control at Luton Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He praised a Met Police officer who handed out bottles of water to struggling passengers, tweeting that he had “kept thousands in line with humour and kindness”.

A spokesperson for the airport said the mood among passengers had been “one of patience and understanding”.

It is unclear what the exact issue is with the border system, and a Home Office spokesman said it was “too sensitive” to expand on.

This weekend was already expected to be busy for travellers, with the bank holiday coinciding with the half-term break for many families.

Separately, travellers leaving the UK from the Port of Dover also faced issues after the French passport system failed earlier on Saturday.

That issue has now been fixed, but cars and coaches are waiting for about an hour, with about 400 lorries queuing to make the crossing on what is a busy bank holiday weekend.

Airports around the UK issued statements earlier on Saturday warning passengers of the delays but said they were working with the UK Border Force to minimise disruption.

A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said queues were “manageable” at that stage, and passengers had to wait no longer than an hour to get through passport control – although they were expecting 800 incoming flights during the day. It confirmed the issue first started between 19:00 and 20:00 BST on Friday.

Lucy Morton, from the Immigration Services Union, told the BBC that between 60-80% of incoming passengers usually use e-gates, depending on the airport.

“There’s no impact on national security,” she added, explaining that all arrivals would still be fully checked at manned officer desks.

E-gates can be used by British citizens aged over 12 and those from the EU, as well as people from countries including Australia, Canada, the US, Japan and New Zealand.

But all entry points retain manned security desks for other passengers and those unable to use e-gates.

A Home Office spokesperson said they were 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,” they said.

On Thursday and Friday British Airways was also hit by IT issues, affecting more than 20,000 passengers at Heathrow.

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