Disgruntled passengers at Birmingham Airport have taken to social media this morning to decry the long wait at the terminal. Some claimed to have waited more than two hours.
Photos shared on X, formerly Twitter, show long lines outside the terminal. Airport bosses have previously said BirminghamLive passengers will have to wait outside the terminal as construction work means space inside is small and cramped.
And despite new scanners allowing passengers to carry two liters of water in hand luggage, last-minute government regulations mean flying passengers are still limited to bottles of just 100ml.
READ MORE: Birmingham Airport has confirmed the fate of escalators as construction work draws to a close
That change, bosses say, means the new equipment cannot function optimally and checks are being carried out on the bags. Both contribute to the delays, they said.
Those who flew through the hub in recent weeks have condemned the scenes of carnage and called for their resignation. Many have also called for the return of escalators, as new procedures currently require them to reach the security hall via elevators.
The long queues are seen to reach their peak in the early morning, before disappearing around lunchtime.
This is a live blog. We will bring you the latest news from the airport throughout the days.
09:44Matt Lloyd
Other travel news
In other travel news, if you skip the queues in the future, you could be scammed by artificial intelligence at the borders of some European countries.
The ‘lie detectors’ will question those entering countries in a bid to control The Mail On Sunday’s border security reports.
Full details here.
09:39Matt Lloyd
Airport advice
Birmingham Airport is providing advice in the form of posters and a video on social media to help passengers. It doesn’t seem to have helped much. It’s here because it can help
09:08Matt Lloyd
What have Birmingham Airport bosses said?
BirminghamLive reporter Naomi DeSouza had some time with airport CEO Nick Barton earlier this week. In an extensive interview we asked about the queues, the construction work, the new security kit and when this whole situation would be resolved.
The airport boss told how the new equipment was hampered by last-minute government regulations. But he did outline steps on what can be done in the meantime to tackle the queues.
You can read what he had to say here.
09:05Matt Lloyd
What do passengers say at Birmingham Airport?
Again, very similar sentiments to what we’ve seen in recent days/weeks. Below are a few tweets from passengers this morning.
This passenger said they had waited more than two hours and added that they felt sorry for the staff.
Eric Hagen said he waited in line for two hours and the new security scanners were too slow.
08:54Matt Lloyd
What’s happening at Birmingham Airport?
The scenes we saw today truly reflect what we have seen in recent days and weeks; dozens of passengers line up outside the terminal as they make their way to early morning flights.
This early period has proven to be a bottleneck for the travel hub. Issues surrounding construction work and fluid controls seemed to really hamper operations.
The airport has told BirminghamLive that fluid counselors should be present at each entry point to try to get people through the lifts and into security more quickly.
But passengers complain that the capacity of the elevators is not enough and are calling for the return of escalators (more on that later). Meanwhile, while new scanners are equipped to check larger quantities of liquids, they run at lower capacity, causing further delays.
08:50Matt Lloyd
Good morning…
…or not, if you’re at the end of the lines at BHX. We’ll be bringing you the latest updates and what advice we can give as the chaos continued at Birmingham Airport this morning.
Passengers have described long queues and wait times of more than two hours to enter the terminal as new liquidity rules and construction work continue to take their toll.