Travelers to UK face long waits amid systems glitch affecting electronic gates
The UK government is working to fix a technical glitch that caused electronic border gates to stop working at airports across the country, resulting in hours of waits for travelers entering the UK at the start of a weekend. busy holiday end.
FILE – Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, which handles British Airways flights, is virtually empty of passengers as staff are ready to help during a strike by British Airways pilots on Monday September 9 2019. The UK government is working to fix a technical glitch that caused electronic border gates to stop working at airports across the country on Friday night, resulting in hours of waits for travelers entering the UK at the start of a busy holiday weekend. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
The Associated Press
LONDON — The UK government is working to fix a technical glitch that caused electronic border gates to shut down at airports across the country on Friday night, resulting in hours of waits for travelers entering the UK at the start of a weekend busy holiday weekend.
Travelers posted photos of long queues at airports across the country, as all incoming passengers were forced to use manned passport offices, instead of automatic gates equipped with e-passport scanners.
The Interior Ministry, which is responsible for border control, said it was working to correct the problem.
“We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals to the UK,” the Home Office said. “We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and are liaising with port operators and airlines to minimize disruption to travellers.”
ABC
