Bank Holiday chaos as passport gate glitch sparks airport delays – live updates

Passengers are facing long delays as electronic passport gates have gone down across UK airports.

The issue is likely to cause long delays at passport controls for bank holiday travelers flying into the country as all airports that use the gates are affected.

The Home Office has confirmed the news after the system went down on Friday night – but did not say how long the fault would last.

A Home Office spokesperson 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.”

This comes after thousands of people faced having their bank holiday plans plunged into chaos, as British Airways was forced to cancel scores of flights on Thursday and Friday following an IT failure.

One passenger has described scenes at Edinburgh Airport as a “shambles”, reporting a queue of over 300 people at passport control on Friday night.

Another spoke of “total chaos” at Gatwick Airport’s passport control, with “queues of over an hour” caused by the downing of the electronic passport gates.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, warned that the failure could spread wider disruption beyond the inconvenience to arriving passengers.

“The whole UK Border Force business model – including staffing this weekend – is based on the premise that a large majority of arriving passengers are able to use the eGates. As well as British citizens, EU nationals, Americans, Australians, Japanese and other nationalities can go through them.

“The simple business of checking that a passport is valid, and that it belongs to the traveller presenting themselves, is a transaction that is normally easily and efficiently achieved by eGate technology. With this routine burden removed, UK Border Force officers can spend time on ‘cases of interest’ arriving from abroad.

“But if every arrival has to be checked manually, the processing time increases massively – leading to the very long queues we are seeing.

“Once the flow of arrivals becomes unmanageable in the immigration hall, passengers may need to be kept aboard aircraft – meaning that delays can build up for departing travellers who are unable to board their planes.

“The problem will also affect British border posts in France – at Calais, Dunkirk and the Eurostar terminal at Paris Gare du Nord.”

British Airways has cancelled dozens more flights following an IT failure on Thursday, what was supposed to be the busiest day for aviation since 2019.

The Independent calculates that at least 156 flights, mainly domestic and European, have been cancelled on Thursday and Friday as BA struggles to operate without essential systems.

In addition, 14 flights were delayed overnight and are expected to arrive during the late morning after delays of 12-16 hours.

The financial hit will run into millions of pounds: lost revenue from passengers who simply cancel their trips; costs of accommodation and meals for customers who have to wait for onward flights; and compensation under European air passengers’ rights rules.

The reputational damage to BA is considerable; the timing, at the start of half-term for many schools, is especially unfortunate, with some families having invested thousands of pounds in holidays which are now at risk.

But as BA has the majority of slots at Heathrow, the world’s most desirable international airport, it retains a huge structural advantage over other airlines, and is likely to continue to prosper despite this latest failure.

Yes. If you arrive at your final destination at least three hours late, you get the same payment as for a cancellation (except for long-haul flights between three and four hours late, for which the payment is £260).

You could just cancel and get a refund, but most people will want to travel despite the cancellation. There are three elements to BA’s obligation to you:

• A flight as soon as possible on any airline (or train) that can get you to your destination as close to the original schedule as possible. If British Airways is unable to find a seat on the same day, then it must search for a flight on a different airline.
• Meals and, if necessary, hotel accommodation as appropriate until you are on your way. British Airways is supposed to provide this care, but in practice during severe disruption many passengers fend for themselves and then claim back later.
• Cash compensation, which ranges between £220 and £520 per person, depending on the length of the flight. Under 1,500km: £220; 1,500-3,500km, £350; above 3,500km, £520. Because of the sheer number of passengers affected, payments are likely to take months rather than weeks.

As millions of families begin half-term week, and many others start bank holiday weekend getaways, travel within and departing from the UK is looking tumultuous.

The AA has said that 17 million drivers will take to the roads, while British Airways has cancelled 60 more flights to and from London Heathrow.