CHAOS has broken out at two major UK airports as “technical issues” see passengers miss flights and operations are brought to a halt.
Passengers were left queuing for two hours at Birmingham Airport AND London Stansted on Monday.
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Bosses at the West Mids airport decided to revamp security – closing a major section and subjecting travellers to disruption.
Meanwhile, Stansted in the capital was thrown into mayhem when major systems, including check-in, security and baggage, stopped working.
Despite the power being restored, staff are still working to get the systems back up and running hours later, the airport says.
One fuming passenger travelling from Birmingham told how the lengthy delays meant he missed his flight.
He claimed his RyanAir flight took off half empty when other passengers also found themselves stuck trying to get through security.
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson 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.
“We wish to remind our customers that existing security restrictions remain in place.
“This can be confusing to our customers and on average 15 per cent of bags are rejected as they are not compliant with current security restrictions.
“For each customer, a non-compliant bag adds ten minutes on top of their security search time.
“As a reminder, customers taking liquids and electricals through security in their hand luggage should follow these instructions.
- Liquids, pastes and gels, up to 100ml, in 20 x 20cm in resealable bags should be taken out of bags and placed in the security scanning tray
- All electricals are to be removed from their cases and placed separately in the security scanning tray
“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.
“Queuing and walking routes are constantly changing however our colleagues are around for any help and assistance in the terminal.
“We apologise to our customers for the impact this transition may have from time to time.”
Holidaymakers set to jet off from Stansted are being urged to arrive earlier as it’s taking “longer than usual” to get through the terminal.
Flights are operating as usual but people online have complained they’ve missed their flights because of hold-ups.
A spokesperson for the airport said: “Earlier this morning, we experienced a partial power outage in the terminal that affected a number of airport systems, including check-in, security and baggage.
“Power is now restored, and our teams are working hard to get systems back up and running as quickly as possible.
“However, it is taking slightly longer than usual for passengers to pass through the terminal while systems recover.
“Flights are operating as normal, but passengers are advised to allow plenty of time for their travel and check with their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.
“We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience and disruption to their journeys today.”
Jetsetters have taken to X/formerly known as Twitter to fume over their current airport experience.
As images shared online show the chaos of queues, one person tweeted Stansted: “The situation is worse than you’re saying.”
Another angry passenger claimed they missed their flight because of the delays getting through security – as only “half of the machines” are working.
They tweeted: “Thanks to Stansted Airport I’m missing my flight. I arrived two-and-a-half-hours early. They are working with half of the machines causing queues of more than an hour.”
A third simply said “What the f***,” as groups of people grew.
