Airport waits shadow London Olympics

Media reports about lengthy waits of up to three hours at London’s Heathrow Airport have caused concerns over the ability of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to deal with delays at the county’s airports during the busy period of the London Olympics.

The British Airports Authority (BAA), which operates Heathrow and Stansted airports in London, has blamed the UKBA for the long queues at airports on Thursday and Friday. BAA said the UKBA should provide enough staff and called on Britain’s Home Office to 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,” said BAA in a statement.

A significant increase in the number of people using airports in London is expected during the Olympic Games. The Heathrow airport usually handles an average of 190,000 passengers arriving and departing each day with extra 40,000 passengers expected on August 13, the day after the Games finishes.

Passengers faced long queues at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on Friday. A delayed passenger Leo Lourdes said: “It was quite embarrassing, especially with the Olympics coming up. I know in the UK we have a reputation for queuing but Terminal 5 were going for gold with this one. It’s literally the longest queue I’ve ever seen!”

ISH/JR/HE

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