Sudden surge in landings led to airport queue misery
13 PLANES TOUCHED DOWN OUTSIDE SCHEDULED SLOTS OVER TWO HOURS
LONG queues at Manchester Airport passport control were caused by a slew of flights touching down outside scheduled arrival times.
A total of 13 flights arrived in less than two hours on Monday afternoon, the Home Office Border Control said.
Each of those planes arrived outside of their scheduled arrival times, between 11.52am and 1.37pm.
Passport bosses said this ‘placed pressure’ on staff and led to queues which went above the service standard for European Economic Area (EEA) passengers.
Frustrated travellers hit out after hundreds were caught up in long queues at the airport on Monday afternoon.
Passengers waiting to make their way through passport control branded the delays ‘diabolical’ and ‘shocking.’
Several people shared pictures on social media of holidaymakers queuing in lines which doubled back along a corridor leading from the arrival gates at terminals one and three.
And one seasoned traveller even said she would use Liverpool Airport in future because she was so tired of the long lines at Manchester.
Lisa Higginbottom, who touched down at the airport on a flight from Palma just before 1pm, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it.
“For the last six months it’s been really bad. It’s the same every time we travel. This would make me choose Liverpool Airport over Manchester without a doubt and that’s a real shame.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The security of our border is paramount – which is why 100 per cent of scheduled passengers are checked when arriving in the UK.
“While every effort is made to keep delays for passengers to a minimum, when very large numbers of passengers arrive in a short space of time, it can mean a longer wait while these essential border security checks are conducted. The immigration hall was particularly busy earlier today due to a number of flights arriving outside of their scheduled arrival times.”
A spokesman for Manchester Airport yesterday told the M.E.N.: “This afternoon was particularly busy in Terminal 3 which meant queues built up in the immigration hall.
“We want all passengers arriving into Manchester to have a pleasant journey through the airport and we will continue to work with UK Border Force to ensure the arrivals process is as smooth as possible.”