Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport in London faced extensive delays at immigration checkpoints due to a nationwide computer outage reported by the British Border Force officials on Tuesday evening.
Heathrow, the largest airport in the country, acknowledged the issue on social media at 9:15 p.m., stating that the Border Force was experiencing difficulties processing passengers.
By early Wednesday morning, Heathrow confirmed that the problem had been resolved, but the status of other affected airports remained uncertain.
In addition to Heathrow, airports such as Manchester, Gatwick, and Belfast International reported disruptions, with the root cause traced back to the malfunctioning “eGates” at immigration checkpoints.
Despite the delays, Gatwick and Manchester assured passengers that there were no flight disruptions, and efforts were being made to alleviate the immigration processing delays.
The exact start time and reason for the outage were unclear, with inquiries to the U.K.’s Home Office, responsible for the Border Force, remaining unanswered.
Social media images depicted crowded lines at Heathrow Airport under ”UK Border” signs, illustrating the chaos caused by the computer outage.
2024-05-07 20:39:10
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