In the UK on the eve of the weekend there was a collapse in border control at airports and ferries. As reported today by The Guardian, there was a failure in the eGate system in the country. Passengers were forced to queue for 2–3 hours to pass through passport control. Instead of automatics, border control officers took up the verification of documents.
The publication reports that over 175 British Airways flights were canceled on Friday due to problems with IT, which affected about 20 thousand passengers. The change in the schedule also brought chaos to the Saturday operation of the air harbors.
Representatives from Heathrow and Gatwick airports said the problem started last night, but queues have narrowed this morning. According to them, the staff works with the border service and, if necessary, provides assistance to passengers. And the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced its readiness to attract more officers to reduce the queues.
Passengers are expressing their outrage on social media. “Just landed amid total chaos: 2-hour line to get into the real line – the gate is broken,” The Guardian quotes a man who flew in from Frankfurt.
“Welcome to modern Britain. And, of course, the air conditioner is off, so it’s suffocating heat in there,” wrote Chris O’Hara and accompanied his post with photos at passport control in Gatwick at 2 a.m.
Failures in IT systems also affected the operation of ferries between Dover and Calais.
At UK airports, electronic passport gates provide fast passage for residents of the UK and EU countries. Citizens of a number of other countries with biometric passports can also cross the border, bypassing the traditional document check.