Passport drama resolved

Jagger is on the mend

PASSENGERS jetting overseas have faced delays of up to two hours as passport ‘SmartGates’ failed at Australia’s international airports.

The electronic glitch caused commuter chaos across the country yesterday as passports had to be processed manually, sparking lengthy queues.

Australian Border Force reported all passenger and cargo networks had been restored yesterday afternoon, while work continued on some backof-house systems.

“A number of Australian Border Force and Department of Home Affairs IT systems impacted by an earlier outage have now been restored,” a Border Force spokesperson said in a statement yesterday.

“The department is continuing work to bring all systems back online, ensure the integrity of the systems and resolve any ongoing issues.”

Extra staff were called into major airports to minimise disruption, but the outage caused long delays for travellers arriving in and departing Australia. RONNIE Wood says fellow Rolling Stones member Sir Mick Jagger is doing “really well” as he recovers from heart surgery.

The Rolling Stones were forced to postpone tour dates in the US and Canada while the frontman had medical treatment.

Sir Mick (pictured) later told fans he was “on the mend” after he had a heart valve replaced.

Wood told Hello! magazine: “Sally (his wife) and I went on a break to the Caribbean with Keith (Richards) and (his wife) Patti and sent him videos of us playing and singing get well songs on the guitar.

“That cracked him up. We’re all so pleased that he’s doing well.”