Airport delays: Latest from Heathrow and Gatwick as e-passport gates fail on Bank Holiday Saturday

Failures in the e-gate system for passports at UK airports have caused lengthy delays for those arriving in the country as the bank holiday break begins.

Travelers have described on social media that several airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, are experiencing queues lasting several hours because their passports have to be checked by hand rather than automated machines upon entry.

The trouble came as millions were expected to take to the streets and public transport this weekend.

A traveler arriving at Heathrow wrote on Twitter: “I’ve just landed in scenes of utter chaos. 2 hour queues just to get to the real queue. Gates broken.”

Another passenger at Gatwick described the situation as “a complete joke”.

Air travelers experienced travel chaos on Saturday after failures in the e-gate system for passports at UK airports caused long delays in the start of the bank holiday excursion.

Angry travelers took to social media to lament hours of waiting at airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, as their passports are checked by hand rather than automated machines upon entry.

The troubles came as millions are expected to take to the streets and onto public transport this weekend, with some long queues already affecting travelers at Dover Port.

A traveler arriving at Heathrow wrote on Twitter: “I’ve just landed in scenes of utter chaos. 2 hour queues just to get to the real queue. Gates broken.”

Another passenger at Gatwick described the situation as “a complete joke”.

Saturday was the hottest day of the year in Britain, the Met Office confirmed.

In Bramham, West Yorkshire, temperatures reached as high as 24.3C, the meteorologist said.

The warm holiday is expected to last into Sunday, although it’s not expected to be quite as warm.

Temperatures of up to 23°C are expected in Plymouth.

Towards the north it will be increasingly cooler and the cloud cover will be greater than the day before.

The RAC estimates motorists across the UK will make 19.2 million leisure car journeys between Friday and Monday, making it the busiest bank holiday at the end of May since 2019.

Traffic data company Inrix warned that journeys on some sections of the M25 will take up to three times longer than normal.

They extend clockwise from junction 23 for Hatfield to junction 28 for Chelmsford and anti-clockwise towards the Dartford Crossing.

Long delays can also be expected on the M5 in Somerset and the M6 ​​in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

A Gatwick Airport spokesman said the problem started on Friday night but by Saturday morning queues had reduced.

He said: “Some passengers may experience delays in entry due to a nationwide issue with UK Border Police e-gates.

“Our staff are working alongside UK Border Police who operate passport control including e-gates to provide assistance to passengers if required.”

Heathrow Airport tweeted: “We are aware of a nationwide issue affecting eGates operated by Border Force.

“This issue affects a number of ports of entry and does not affect Heathrow.

“Our teams are working closely with Border Force to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we have additional colleagues on hand to manage queues and ensure passenger welfare. We apologize for any impact this has on passenger travel.”

Travel chaos at airports across the UK, including Gatwick, precedes next week’s Gatwick Express strikes.

There will be no Gatwick Express trains on 31 May and 3 June, while there will be a changed timetable on 1 June and reduced service on 2 June.