Passengers arriving at airports in the UK on Saturday face long queues due to a malfunction at electronic passport control.
The problems with the e-gates at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Manchester airport, among others, started on Friday evening, the BBC reports.
Due to the long Whitsun weekend, it is very busy at British airports. Passports now have to be checked manually and that takes a lot more time. The waiting time would be several hours. Typically, 60 to 80 percent of travelers pass through e-gates, depending on the airport, according to the BBC.
Electronic passport control is available to Britons over the age of twelve, citizens of the European Union and of countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan and New Zealand. Travelers can scan their passport themselves. Electronic facial recognition is used to verify their identity. They are also photographed as they go through the gate.
Heathrow deploys extra staff
“We are aware of a nationwide problem with the border system affecting arrivals into the UK,” said the Home Office, which is responsible for border control. “We are working to solve the problem as quickly as possible and to limit the inconvenience for travelers.”
Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, says extra staff are being deployed to manage the long queues.
Airline British Airways also had an IT failure on Thursday and Friday, which caused many flights to be canceled and thousands of travelers to Heathrow to be affected. According to the British airline, these problems have now been resolved and flights are on schedule again.
2023-05-27 12:26:17
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