Belfast International Airport: 'Chaotic' scenes due to security delays
- Published
Some passengers say they waited more than two hours just to reach security
Belfast International Airport has apologised after travellers faced lengthy delays on Thursday morning.
Customers took to social media to post images of long queues, with some showing lines out past the airport's front doors.
Rob Grundy, who arrived at the airport on Thursday morning, described the scenes as "chaotic".
A spokesperson for the airport has said security lines are now "flowing well".
Mr Grundy told BBC News NI he almost missed his flight due to the large numbers of people waiting.
"I was on the 07:30 BST flight to Stansted, so I got there at about 06:25 and there was a queue of around 50 outside of arrivals outside the airport," Mr Grundy said.
"It caused a bit of confusion because I've never seen it like that before."
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Mr Grundy said one member of staff was there apologising and put "it down to staff shortages".
"The queue moved pretty quickly but I was still in the queue some way from security at 07:00 and my flight was called to the gate," he said.
"So I took the decision to leave the queue and go through the speedy line.
"Normally I would have asked staff but there was no staff there, police were there manning security.
"Everyone was doing their best but it was pretty chaotic."
Mr Grundy said he would travel back and forth to England about twice a month, but has never witnessed queues like there were on Thursday.
'Hectic'
Emma Smith, from Coleraine, County Londonderry, was due to get the first flight of the day to London Gatwick to get to a work meeting at 09:00.
She arrived at about 05:10 for her 06:10 flight.
"I arrived with a small cabin bag and when I got there and went to climb the stairs towards the initial security check the area was already full from the top of the stairs," she told BBC News NI.
"There was no opportunity to be escalated up the queue," she said.
"I did speak to one of the security operators at the access gates to get through the first security.
"I was told they weren't allowed to warrant anyone through a quick access route.
"As such there was no way that I would have been able to make my flight."
Kindness of strangers
Ms Smith told the BBC that the only reason she was able to make her flight was the "kindness" shown to her by others waiting.
"There was only one conveyer belt going at the time to monitor and check everyone's bags.
"The tail back was getting larger and larger by the minute and was out the door by the time I was passing through security," she said.
"Luckily there were some very kind people who let me move up to allow me to get through and make my flight.
"It was pretty hectic and there were a lot of people in the queues that had flights that were being listed as final call.
"If it wasn't for the kindness of the general public who let me skip rows I wouldn't have made my flight and I am so, so grateful to them".
One passenger described the situation on Thursday morning as a "nightmare" and said the system was "very badly organised".
Others took to Twitter to warn other people to arrive early for their flights, to get through security in good time.
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A Belfast International Airport spokesperson said: "We would like to apologise to those passengers who had to wait longer than expected to pass through security early this morning.
"The security lines are now flowing well and we thank passengers for their patience and understanding."
Before Easter the airport had issued guidance to all passengers planning to travel, as it had expected an increase in demand.
That demand is expected to stretch through to the summer months, therefore passengers are advised to:
Check travel requirements to and from their chosen destination before you leave for the airport and to have the correct documentation ready at check-in
Arrive on time by checking with the airline for the latest information on flights and arriving when advised to - it is recommended to arrive at least two hours before departure
Keep travel essentials handy - have tickets, boarding pass, travel insurance, driving licence, currency and credit cards in a safe but accessible place
Remove liquids at security - you can only take liquids in individual containers with a maximum capacity of 100ml on the plane. Each item should be removed from hand luggage and placed in a transparent, resealable plastic bag of not more than one litre capacity per passenger
Get set for security before reaching security remove laptops, tablets or similar electronic devices from hand luggage to be inspected. Coats, jackets and belts should also be removed
- Published19 April 2022
