IT systems failure blights UK Border Force electronic passport gates

An IT system failure that blighted the operation of the United kingdom Border Force’s electronic passport gates at airports throughout the British isles has now been solved, the Property Workplace has verified.

The digital passport gates are created to allow for speedy-tracked obtain by the United kingdom border to everyone in possession of a biometric passport, but an unspecified “technical issue” stopped passengers from applying the services at Uk ports previously now for several several hours.

In accordance to government figures, there are 270 electronic passport gates in operation at air and rail ports across the United kingdom, but it is not acknowledged at this time if all were influenced by the specialized difficulties.

Even so, the condition led to huge queues of travellers at Heathrow Airport as border employees had been needed to manually approach a better than typical selection of passports at these entry factors as the predicament transpired.

Heathrow Airport set out a assertion on Twitter at around 1.40pm today stating it was “aware of a methods failure” influencing the United kingdom Border Force’s electronic passport gates.

“The issue is impacting a selection of ports of entry and is not an isolated problem at Heathrow,” the statement study. “Our groups are doing work with Border Power to come across a resolution as rapidly as doable.”   

According to a assertion launched by the Residence Office, the digital passport gates were again up and functioning yet again close to mid-afternoon now.

“This afternoon, a technical issue impacted e-gates at a variety of ports,” the assertion browse. “The issue was rapidly discovered and has now been fixed.”

It extra: “We have been doing the job difficult to minimise disruption, and apologise to all travellers for the inconvenience brought on.”

Even so, passengers caught up in the disruption have given that comprehensive their frustrations on social media at acquiring caught up in prolonged queues, delays and lacking connecting flights as a outcome of the concern.