Now Stansted hit by passport control chaos

PA

Last week, queues of up to three hours were reported at border control in Heathrow - and now Stansted airport has been hit by the same problems.

The Daily Mail reports that sources at the Essex airport said that hundreds of passengers were delayed for up to two hours at passport control on Friday night because there weren't enough staff to cope with the bank holiday rush.

A source said: "The reason for the delays was because there were not enough passport control desks open and not enough staff on duty."

Passengers took to Twitter to express their frustration. Sophie Elliott said: "Last night at Stansted we were trapped in queues of over an hour - longer for the people behind us - cos 'a few planes landed early'."

More trouble is expected at Heathrow this week, as immigration officials are due to stage a one-day strike in a row over pensions.

Willie Walsh, head of the International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways and Spanish operator Iberia, said last week that the UK's reputation was being damaged by the chaos.

A UK Border Force spokesman said last night: "We deploy staff to meet demand, meaning that the vast majority of passengers pass through immigration controls quickly.

"We will not compromise security but work closely with airport operators to keep delays to a minimum."

Click on the image below for ten of the best airports around the world...

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-154572%