A nationwide issue that led to e-gate malfunctions at UK airports has been resolved, according to the Home Office.
Hundreds of passengers arriving at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Bristol airports were stranded at the border for hours on Tuesday night (May 7) after the e-gates stopped working.
One passenger told the BBC he spent longer in the queue than on his flight back from Portugal.
Others were reportedly stuck on planes sitting on the tarmac after arriving in the country.
When working correctly, e-gates help travellers pass through border security more quickly. They also reduce the number of Border Force staff needed for border control.
However, the technology does not always work. System failures on Tuesday evening meant passengers had to have their passports checked manually — with errors persisting for more than four hours.
Here’s what you need to know about e-gates.
What are e-gates?
E-gates are electronic gates installed at immigration checkpoints in airports and certain other ports of entry. These gates use technology such as facial recognition and biometric scanning to verify the identity of travelers and automate the immigration process.
They allow passengers over 10 from the UK, the EU, Schengen zones, the US, Australasia, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan to bypass manual passport control.
Eligible travellers scan their passports and have their biometric data (usually a facial image) verified by the system. The gates open if all the information aligns, and you can officially enter the UK.
Travellers who do not meet eligibility criteria or have faulty passports must enter the UK through a separate queue.
Although millions of experiences are hassle-free, Tuesday’s issues are not the first time the e-gates have faced challenges.
In May 2023, there were massive delays over the bank holiday weekend as travellers arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick waited hours for their passports to be checked after e-gate technical issues.
Why were they not working?
The UK Government has not specifically said why the e-gates stopped working on Tuesday night, saying there was a "nationwide issue”.
"E-gates at UK airports came back online shortly after midnight,” a Home Office representative said. “We apologise to travellers caught up in disruption and thank our partners, including airlines, for their co-operation and support.”
The representative said staff were on hand to process the passports and denied there was a security breach.
”At no point was border security compromised and there is no indication of malicious cyber activity”, they said.
Despite yesterday’s incident, most departures and arrivals today appear on time.
How many e-gates are there in the UK?
E-gates have been in action since 2008 and helped process more than 260 million passengers between then and 2020.
There are reportedly 293 e-gates across 13 UK airports and two Eurostar terminals.
