Passengers arriving in London Heathrow Airport have complained of long queues and “mediocrity” in immigration, despite the UK Home Office saying last month it was working to improve waiting times.
The UK’s largest airport was inundated on Friday with frustrated travelers who had to wait long to pass through customs attributed to Covid-related health checks and problems with the eGates.
The Interior Ministry’s border guards, who enforce immigration and customs controls, were previously accused of not having enough staff.
Heathrow said passenger numbers were still 71 percent lower in August than they were in August 2019 – before the pandemic.
There are fears that an impending relaxation of travel restrictions and rising passenger numbers could exacerbate delays.
From October 4th, destinations will be classified as low or high risk, instead of red, amber and green.
There will be fewer testing requirements for people entering from low risk countries.
Pictures published on the Internet showed passengers waiting in long lines in front of the main immigration hall on Friday morning.
“Border Force is currently experiencing some delays in conducting health checks to ensure passengers are complying with the latest UK government entry regulations,” Heathrow Airport said.
“While we don’t have an exact number of how long queues can be, our teams in the terminals are available to assist where possible, and we’re working with Border Force to reduce delays as quickly as possible.”
Conservative MP James Sunderland said it took him 90 minutes to pass through immigration at Heathrow Terminal 2 Thursday night.
“Even more mediocre. It is time we raised the bar on all UK services, restored real danger and held our executives adequately accountable, ”he said on Twitter.
Some passengers complained about queues longer than two hours on Friday morning, with one claiming thousands were stuck in line.
Concerns have also been raised about those with underlying health problems who have been forced to wait in congested areas where they may be at greater risk of contracting Covid-19.
Last month, Heathrow blames Border Force Lack of staff for the delays, while the Home Office – which includes Border Force – described the queues as “unacceptable”.
It had been alleged that this staff shortage was due to a wave of illness among border guards after shifts were extended for some.
“It is imprecise to say that changes to the Border Force rosters in August caused an increase in the number of sicknesses. The changes were not introduced until August 22nd and were made after extensive consultations with staff and unions, including the Immigration Service Union, to improve our operational efficiency and effectiveness, ”said a representative from the Home Office.
“Our top priority is the protection of the safety and health of the population. We will not compromise on border security and will continue to perform our important role of securing the border and providing the necessary resources.
“Border Force regularly reviews staffing requirements to ensure that resources can be used flexibly when necessary to fulfill the vital function of border security.”
However, the airport continues to be plagued by complaints, with long waits over the past week due to problems with the eGates.
In response to a passenger who complained that only five out of 15 eGates were working on Friday morning, Heathrow said, “Although we work closely with our colleagues at Heathrow, it is the Border Force that handles the immigration process at the airport.”
A Home Office official said a technical issue affecting a small number of eGates in Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport on Friday morning has now been resolved.
Updated: October 1, 2021, 3:25 p.m.
