London's Heathrow Airport reassured passengers that all of its border control systems were operating normally and that no issues were expected when operations resumed on Wednesday. This announcement came after Britain's Home Office confirmed that the border control systems were back online following a technical outage on Tuesday, which caused chaotic scenes and long queues at airports nationwide.
The Home Office clarified that the outage was not the result of a cyber attack and emphasized that border security had not been compromised. Heathrow Airport, along with other major airports such as London Stansted, confirmed that the technical issue had been resolved.
During the outage, passengers experienced manual processing of passport holders, leading to significant delays. The affected airports, including Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester, and Edinburgh, acknowledged the nationwide problem and worked with Border Force officials to address it.
Passengers described chaotic scenes and long queues at passport desks, with videos posted on social media illustrating the extent of the disruption.
This incident is not the first of its kind, as the automated border gate system also experienced a crash in May 2023, causing similar delays. Additionally, in August 2023, a technical problem disrupted the National Air Traffic Service, resulting in further disruptions to air traffic.
Border Force, operating under the Home Office, is responsible for passport control and e-gates at airports, and the Home Office expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers and pledged to resolve the issue promptly.
