A travel expert has warned millions of holidaymakers could face a summer of travel chaos after a nationwide IT system collapse left passengers battling huge queues at UK airports last night.
Families waited for hours with no ‘food or water’ following Border Force chaos which saw staff having to process thousands of passengers manually.
The fault with the e-gates began late yesterday evening and wasn’t resolved until 2am, stranding passengers in ever lengthening queues in arrivals halls.
Travel expert and journalist Simon Calder told MailOnline that Brits should ‘hope for the best’ this summer, but warned ‘anyone’s holiday plans can unravel’.
‘The UK is not alone on experiencing a wide range of issues that can stand between travellers and their holidays,’ he said.
‘But because our aviation infrastructure is so overstretched, especially at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, disruption can spread through the system very swiftly – with little slack in the system for recovery.
‘At this stage, though, all you can do is hope for the best over the summer, but understand anyone’s holiday plans can unravel.’
Gatwick Airport last night at passport control after a nationwide IT system collapse
Huge queues formed at Gatwick (pictured) and other UK airports, with people forced to wait for hours
The fault with the e-gates began late yesterday evening and wasn’t resolved until 2am
Last night’s ‘major, major incident’ was caused by a Wi-Fi outage which in turn stopped a Border Force’s security database called ‘Border Crossing’ from being able to update. The system was introduced three years ago, costing taxpayers £372million.
Just after 2.10am this morning Home Office said it had finally fixed the system and had no evidence its outage had been caused by a cyber attack.
However for many the ordeal was only just beginning with queues for coaches and taxis leaving the airport also lasting hours, forcing many passengers to bed down on the floor.
After clearing the border, passengers at Stanstead were forced to wait for hours more outside for the 4:30am National Express train back to London.
The fallout from the disruption continued with many passengers expressing their disbelief at the lack of an adequate back up plan in place that resulted in some queuing for longer at the border than they spent on their flight from Lisbon.