Chaos at Heathrow: Huge queues as pingemia leaves ‘ONE person at passport control’ | United Kingdom | New UK News

The airport was gearing up for one of its busiest weekends of the year until schools close and summer vacation begins. But there were chaotic scenes at Heathrow as frustrated passengers were forced to queue for “hours and hours”.

A shortage of staff and broken machines were blamed for the long wait times.

The delays meant that some passengers arriving at Terminal 2 from Amber List countries missed their pre-booked taxis or coaches.

Ryan Marshall, 30, foreman who now lives in France, said: “I’ve been in the Alps for 10 years, but I’m here for my buddy’s wedding.

“It wasn’t crowded until after we landed, but the people at the back of the line were going to wait for hours and hours.

“Then the passport control machines broke and there was only one person on the desk checking everyone’s passports.

“My flight landed at 7:30 am and it’s now 10am, so it took me almost three hours to get through.

“I have now missed my coach, so I have to take the tube to London, then take a train to Bournemouth.

“It doesn’t make sense to me because I’m supposed to be in quarantine.

“When I booked a Day 5 test at Boots they said there weren’t any available so come on Day 4 instead – it’s ridiculous.

“I’m supposed to go back in three weeks, but the rules keep changing, so I might have to cut it short.

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“Going to a bachelor party and a wedding has become a month-long trip. It turns me off coming back to England.”

John Wilson, 53, who works in telecommunications returning from Bucharest in the UK, said: “There were only two people on the desk and the queues were like an amusement park, s ‘coiling like a snake.

“We were halfway up the ‘snake’ when we started, but by the time we reached the office it was all the way down the aisle.

“Our flight landed at 8am and it’s now 10:20 am, so it took us over two hours to get through.

“I had booked a taxi for 9am but he canceled and charged me £ 35 because I wasn’t there.

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“The British just seem to be sailing, but for everyone it was absolutely appalling.”

Tom O’Connell, 46, owner of a pharmacy in Putney, west London, said: “We have just arrived from Malta which is a Green List country.

“The queues were absolutely ridiculous – it took us over an hour to get from the back to the front of the queue.

“And then there’s another massive queue for the person to check your papers.

“There are simply not enough personnel and more than half of the machines – around ten of them – have been taken on board.

“Most people expect it, I guess, but it’s just a disappointing way to get into a country. Plus, people from different countries are lining up together.

“There is a sign for the countries on the red list, but that’s it, everyone is in the same boat.

“It’s not that I’m worried because I’m doubly vaccinated. But they’re telling you to line up to keep everyone from queuing.

“It seems unnecessary if you are then pushed into a queue with the rest of the plane and the other passengers.”

Sebastian Dossantos, 20, added: “I am from South Africa, but had to stop in Portugal for 10 days.

“I’m here to work at my uncle’s restaurant at Leamington Spa. If I’m honest, it’s been an absolute mission to get here.

“I think it’s the longest queue I’ve ever been in for sure. It took me an hour because there are hundreds of people in line.

“You could tell people were starting to get anxious. I think there were just too many people passing by.”

Heathrow Airport said it expected to handle around 128,000 passengers on Saturday and Sunday, compared to daily volumes of around 230,000 to 260,000 in July 2019.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “This weekend is set to be one of the busiest of the year so far. We are delighted to see the terminals come back to life, with most of the stores and restaurants now reopened.

“We have additional colleagues on hand to ensure our passengers have a smooth journey as they take well-deserved breaks or travel abroad for a long-awaited reunion with loved ones.”