The UK Home Office has apologised to passengers caught up in long queues at passport control because of technical issues at e-gates yesterday (Tuesday 29 July).
Stansted, Manchester, East Midlands, Gatwick and Heathrow airports were among those affected for several hours.
Stansted Airport told passengers: “UK Border Force is currently experiencing a technical issue that has resulted in its eGates being unavailable.
“This is a national issue affecting a number of airports across the UK.
“While this issue is ongoing passengers may take longer than usual to pass through passport control and we thank you for your patience.”
East Midlands Airport advised passengers to allow extra time for passport control.
Heathrow told passengers: “We are aware of an issue impacting the e-gates, which are staffed and operated by Border Force. Our teams are working closely with Border Force to find a solution as quickly as possible.”
One passenger arriving at Gatwick posted on X to say: “No e-gates working, nowhere near enough border staff, just absolutely embarrassing.” A passenger at Manchester described a ‘crowd getting irate and shouting’, adding ‘queues are out of control’.
The Home Office said: “We are aware of a technical issue affecting eGates at ports across the UK.
“We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience caused.”
At around 4pm, Stansted said: “Following earlier issues affecting eGates operated by Border Force at several UK airports, normal operations are now resuming. Our teams on the ground are supporting passengers and continue to work closely with Border Force to ensure a smooth return to service.”
Gatwick Airport told Travel Gossip its e-gates began operating normally from 23:00 on Tuesday. It said there had been ‘minimal disruption caused to [the] overall operation’.
