Olympic fears over London airport queues
Source: Agencies |
April 29, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AN airport operator and lawmakers yesterday called on the government to urgently address chaos at Britain's borders to prevent disruption for London Olympic visitors.
Concerns have been raised amid lengthy waits for passengers arriving at immigration desks from flights into the British capital, including complaints from passengers who faced long lines on Friday at Heathrow's Terminal 5.
BAA Ltd, which operates Heathrow and Stansted airports in London, said Britain's border agency was not providing enough staff to conduct the necessary passport and visa checks, causing the delays and demanded Britain's interior ministry, the Home Office, take action.
"Immigration waiting times during peak periods at Heathrow recently have been unacceptable and we have called on the Home Office to address the problem as a matter of urgency," BAA said in a statement. "There isn't a trade-off between strong border security and a good passenger experience - the Home Office should be delivering both."
Heathrow handles a daily average of 190,000 passengers, with 69.4 million total in 2011.
Legislators have previously discussed concerns about whether Heathrow and other London airports can cope with large number of arrivals around the Olympics. The games run from July 27 to August 12.
Those worries have been fueled by disruption experienced last summer, when Britain's then border chief relaxed some passport checks during the busy tourist season simply to handle the demand.
"There is a real problem and the problem has emerged over the last few months," Keith Vaz, a lawmaker and chairman of Parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee, told BBC radio. "I'm not saying we should abandon checks, but it's a choice for the government - you either look at the way you deal with people when they arrive at Heathrow or you recruit more staff."
Concerns have been raised amid lengthy waits for passengers arriving at immigration desks from flights into the British capital, including complaints from passengers who faced long lines on Friday at Heathrow's Terminal 5.
BAA Ltd, which operates Heathrow and Stansted airports in London, said Britain's border agency was not providing enough staff to conduct the necessary passport and visa checks, causing the delays and demanded Britain's interior ministry, the Home Office, take action.
"Immigration waiting times during peak periods at Heathrow recently have been unacceptable and we have called on the Home Office to address the problem as a matter of urgency," BAA said in a statement. "There isn't a trade-off between strong border security and a good passenger experience - the Home Office should be delivering both."
Heathrow handles a daily average of 190,000 passengers, with 69.4 million total in 2011.
Legislators have previously discussed concerns about whether Heathrow and other London airports can cope with large number of arrivals around the Olympics. The games run from July 27 to August 12.
Those worries have been fueled by disruption experienced last summer, when Britain's then border chief relaxed some passport checks during the busy tourist season simply to handle the demand.
"There is a real problem and the problem has emerged over the last few months," Keith Vaz, a lawmaker and chairman of Parliament's Home Affairs Select Committee, told BBC radio. "I'm not saying we should abandon checks, but it's a choice for the government - you either look at the way you deal with people when they arrive at Heathrow or you recruit more staff."
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