Airport 'shambles' as passengers miss flights
Passengers inside the airport faced queues to use internal lifts
- Published
Passengers at Birmingham Airport have been facing delays, with some missing their flights, after a technical problem in security.
Posts on social media showed huge queues of people waiting near lifts inside the airport.
Passenger Scott Miller criticised the "shocking incompetence" in his post on X, saying staff could not "process the number of passengers and yet after security the airport is empty".
The airport apologised, saying a technical issue with security lanes on Monday morning compounded the peak departure schedule.
A new security area is also being built, it added, which meant the airport was a "working building site".
Listen on BBC Sounds: Roger Burton describes what happened to him at the airport
Roger Burton, from Redditch in Worcestershire, said he missed his flight to Alicante in Spain earlier, despite getting to the airport with three hours to spare.
He said hundreds of people were affected and described the situation as an "absolute shambles".
"I'm nearly 80 and standing in a queue for three hours is no fun," he said.
"They were keeling over - one guy collapsed."
He said the queues started outside the airport and spread inside to the escalators and lift with only one lift working and then there were issues with X-ray machines.
"It was bad management by the airport, terrible... I have had to buy myself another ticket for Wednesday. They don't realise the hassle it has caused people."
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A spokesperson for the airport said: “We saw a usual busy Monday morning at Birmingham Airport with customers queuing downstairs, which is the new normal, as the upstairs queuing area has been taken out of service as we construct our new security area"
“This morning we encountered a technical issue with our security lanes, which compounded the peak departure schedule and hindered our operation.
"We sincerely apologise to our customers for the level of service that they received, this is not what we aim to deliver here at Birmingham Airport."
They also cited potential delays if security rules had not been adhered to with luggage being rejected, adding extra time for passengers.
“The airport has been a working building site for 18 months, and continues to be, while we build for our future with a new security area," the spokesperson added.
They said queuing and walking routes were "constantly changing" but staff were around to offer help and assistance.
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- Published16 April
