EasyJet issues urgent warning to all UK tourists over 'nationwide problem'
A Border Force outage caused huge queues at some airports on Thursday afternoon and passengers were warned to expect delays
Holidaymakers flying back to the UK have been warned about a 'nationwide issue' that may cause delays. EasyJet issued an urgent warning to all of its passengers booked onto flights to UK airports.
Electronic gates used to scan passports at airports across the countries were struck by a glitch on Thursday, April 25, causing problems for thousands of travellers. At least five major airports including Birmingham reported issues connected to the Border Force outage, though BHX has since confirmed that the 'issue is resolved'.
Many airports use the self-service e-gates to speed up the passport control process for travellers arriving back in the UK, with passengers having to look into a camera and scan their passport to be granted entry. Most airports also offer arrivals the option to have their passports checked by border officials at the manned desks.
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A Home Office spokesman said on Thursday: "We are aware of a technical issue affecting eGates across the country. We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience caused."
EasyJet also issued a message to its passengers, warning them to expect delays between disembarking the plane and clearing passport control. The airline said: "We have been informed of a nationwide issue that is currently affecting all E-Gates at Passport Control in UK airports.
"UK Border Force is deploying all available resources to minimize queue times, however there may be a delay between disembarking your plane and clearing passport control."
Birmingham Airport posted on X shortly before 5pm on Thursday, saying: "Arriving in to BHX, the UK Home Office e-Gates are currently out of service due to a technical issue across the country. Please use the desks within the Immigration Hall only."
BHX then shared an update at 9pm, advising passengers: "We can now confirm that the below issue is resolved."