Huge queues outside Birmingham Airport could ‘last for months’ as more passengers are left waiting in the cold after days of chaos.
The disruptions started on Thursday when long queues formed due to confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners.
Furious passengers have waited hours to get through security after the airport installed new technology that allows people to travel with liquids of up to two liters in their suitcases.
Now insiders claim queues can last for months and the airport is ‘understaffed’, leaving workers ‘overworked’ and ‘struggling’.
The anonymous employee told BirminghamLive that passengers regularly complain to him about missed or delayed flights and said the situation is ‘really bad’.
Long queues outside Birmingham Airport are seen in a video posted on X on Sunday
The video was taken of the security queue at 5.18am on Sunday
By the time the passengers who posted the video made it through security, their flight was making its final boarding
The disruptions began on Thursday when long queues formed due to confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners
Furious passengers have waited hours to get through security after the airport installed new technology that allows people to travel with liquids up to two liters in their suitcases
Frustrated passengers face hours-long queues as they fight their way through airport security
Huge queues have been seen outside the terminal, snaking around the side of the building
The problem apparently stems from staff shortages and the time it has taken to complete the upgrade of the new security hall, with the source adding that the airport should have deployed additional security staff to combat these issues.
How 3D scanners will spell the end for 100ml liquid limits
Under current rules on liquids, flyers are only allowed to take 100ml containers in hand luggage.
This year, however, passengers will be able to carry 330 ml (2 liter) containers through security at certain airports.
Like the scanners used in hospitals, the new CT scanners create high-resolution 3D images, allowing luggage to be accurately checked without having to remove items from it, speeding up the security process.
It means travelers can leave liquids, laptops and electronics in their luggage as they pass through security.
Baggage rules will still vary between different airlines, so passengers are urged to check before traveling.
In response, airport bosses said there is an “ongoing recruitment campaign for security officers” and added that missed or delayed flights are “not necessarily” their fault.
The problems started on Thursday, with long queues as new rules on carrying liquids caused confusion among passengers.
The chaos has not become less than on Friday and during the weekend. People showed up three hours early for their flights, but still waited in long lines at security checkpoints.
Birmingham Airport met a deadline to install new 3D baggage scanners at the start of this month, but officials at the West Midlands hub decided to combine both the old and new rules for carrying liquids ‘until further notice’.
The airport said the previous 100ml limits still apply, but passengers may carry these in their carry-on luggage rather than taking them out to be screened separately in clear bags.
Birmingham Airport said in a statement that in addition to security delays with the new technology, “ongoing construction work on site” contributed to the “usually busy morning” as customers waited in “long and skinny queues”.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: ‘With ongoing construction work and liquid restrictions the airport was naturally busy, as you would expect for a Friday outing.’
‘There are queues every day at peak times, which is normal for any airport. A photo of a queue is subjective, and at that moment, at that moment. We strongly advise customers to follow our advice and only show up within check-in opening hours.
“We had no reports of hypothermia or calls to our medical line to assist passengers. We have fully trained first aiders on site and none of our staff are called to treat anyone.
‘We’re asking customers to check our social channels and website to follow our simple instructions to make traveling through Birmingham Airport easier for everyone.’
Birmingham Airport’s latest statement to MailOnline reads: ‘The airport has invested £60 million of privately funded money into its new security research area. An area designed and resourced to accommodate the two-liter increase in cabin baggage cannot currently be operated with the temporary restriction.
‘There are queues every day at peak times, which is normal for any airport. A photo of a queue is subjective, and at that moment, at that moment. Following the new 100ml restriction, we have today installed ‘liquid screening stations’ at all terminal entrances, where colleagues will directly assist passengers to ensure liquid containers over 100ml are removed. The outside queues we see today are from “liquid check stations”.
‘With these extra checks we have seen that a large proportion of customers are still arriving with liquids over 100ml in their bag and these unfortunately need to be removed and thrown away. Containers with a capacity of more than 100 ml are permitted, but must be completely empty. Thanks to these additional checks, our safety flow has been constant today. We welcome and appreciate our passengers’ cooperation in removing oversized liquids from their carry-on luggage.
‘It is now more necessary than ever that customers adhere to the 100ml rule. This additional layer of control threatens to slow down the safety process without the support of passengers.
‘We have been continuously planning for this transition from our old security zone to our new one, taking into account the impact of the construction work, new equipment and the unknown queues. Approximately one million passengers use our airport every month, the majority of whom have a good experience despite the ongoing construction work.
‘In addition to the changes we have implemented for our customers, we have also taken our colleagues into account. As part of the construction work, a new colleague wellbeing area has been created with a large break room, dedicated toilets, a prayer room and a quiet area. Since development work began, we have worked collaboratively with our teams, with colleagues contributing to the design of both the new safety screening hall and their wellbeing area, and we continue to do so.
‘We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for security officers as the process is rightly lengthy, with assessment centers and classrooms scheduled every month throughout the year to support the recruitment and training of new colleagues.’