Passengers Experiencing Long Lines at U.K. Passport Control

Passengers arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport are facing hour-long delays to clear passport control.

The problem was first reported on April 13 by a member of the FlyerTalk online travel community posting on behalf of his brother:  “Just landed but still queuing for border control and have been 1hr 15m already – absolute farce! They have no idea what they’re doing and queues are backing up fast.

Since then, the delays have increased.  The Sunday Times reported that police had to be called in on Wednesday because of unrest in Terminal 5’s immigration hall as a Spanish passenger tried to barge past passport control.  The man was caught and returned to immigration control.

The problems are apparently not limited to London. In Birmingham, according to the Times, approximately 20 passengers were able to rush past border control agents last month after queuing for over two hours.  The U.K. Home Office admitted that border controls had been breached in Birmingham.

Earlier today, a passenger arriving at London’s Gatwick Airport reported that there were no lines for immigration but passengers arriving at London Heathrow were still reporting long lines.

On Thursday, Alastair Campbell, who served as communications chief for Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, tweeted: “If this is what Heathrow T5 border queue is like on an average Thursday Olympic athletes should think about coming soon.”

(Pictured: Terminal 5 at Heathrow)