Birmingham Airport holidaymakers left queueing outside for 'over 2 hours' outside - here's why

Holidaymakers at Birmingham Airport are currently experiencing significant delays, causing a surge of frustration today (Friday, May 17).

The lengthy security queues outside come amid ongoing construction works at the airport which is improving security facilities ahead of ending 100ml liquid rule in hand luggage and other changes..

The queues, which extend from the front entrance through the check-in areas and up to security, have resulted in widespread frustration among travellers.

Many of these travellers arrived extra early to ensure they made their flights on time, only to be met with these unexpected delays outside.

What are passengers saying about the issues?

The frustrations of passengers flying from the airport have been widely shared on social media:

What’s causing the delays at Birmingham Airport?

The ongoing construction works at the airport, aimed at creating a “more streamlined security area”, have been blamed for the issue. With the airport’s main escalators currently out of service, holidaymakers are being forced to use lifts, adding to the delays.

Adding to the chaos, the Home Office, which oversees Border Force, confirmed a 'nationwide issue due to a problem with the passport eGates last night (May 7), according to a BBC report.

eGates, automated gates, that use facial recognition to check a person’s identity, are supposed to ‘enable quicker travel into the UK’.

However, yesterday, Birmingham Airport staff were left manually processing passengers instead. The staff has admit that the transition can be ‘confusing for customers’ with ‘queuing and walking routes changing’.

What is the airport’s response?

A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport stated: "Due to our ongoing construction works to build our new security search area, customers will find themselves queuing in unfamiliar areas. We took the decision to queue our customers outside to ease congestion around the construction works.

“While this may seem unusual to our customers, for which we apologise, we make operational decisions daily to ensure the smooth flow of customers through security.”