Thousands of passengers lined up in front of Birmingham Airport this morning as some 7,500 people passed through the terminal during the early rush hour.
Vacationers reported “absolute chaos” as security queues were spotted coming out of the airport gates and along the length of the building.
Queues dropped significantly by 10:30 a.m. Monday (May 9th), while photos and videos taken by frustrated passengers showed hundreds of passengers queuing up to get to the airport earlier, with flights delayed by up to an hour.
Travelers said “thousands” of people remained in line, reaching “one kilometer” at their peak.
This is the latest in a series of problems affecting BHX’s redundant staff after weeks of complaints from leaflets about long security queues and delays.
An airport spokesman said about 7,500 people had been booked to fly during the busy peak of dawn, prompting the decision to build security queues outside. They said the queues were “long but steerable and moving”.
Similar scenes were observed at the city’s airport this weekend, prompting TUI to apologize to passengers passing through the terminal on Saturday.
Last week, airport chief executive Nick Barton acknowledged that the chaos would continue for several weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio WM, he blamed the 12-week “delay” between recruiting and putting into service. He said: “It is still the legacy of the industry, which is re-emerging from the government’s repeal of the rules in mid-February.”
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