Chaos continues at Birmingham Airport in the form of huge queues amid torrential rain

By Frankie Elliott for Mailonline

08:59 10 June 2024, updated 09:02 10 June 2024

Huge queues at Birmingham Airport continue to cause chaos as passengers are accused of causing long waits due to incorrectly packed bags.

The airport drew criticism on social media after the disruptions began on Thursday, when long queues formed amid confusion over new rules for 100ml liquids and 3D baggage scanners.

Angry passengers have been waiting hours to get through security after the Government temporarily reinstated rules preventing people from traveling with liquids larger than 100ml in hand luggage until further notice.

Birmingham Airport said it already complied with the rule due to “remarkable regulatory approval for its new screening machines”, but claimed it was continually seeing non-compliant daily bags.

According to Nick Barton, CEO of Birmingham Airport, these non-compliant bags took 20 minutes each to get through security.

Mr Barton advised customers to check their hand luggage before arriving at the airport to ensure they comply with the new restrictions and prevent further delays.

He told the BBC: “Since we opened our new security area and despite being one of the first airports in the UK to comply, we have been restricted in the use of our multi-million pound equipment pounds due to an exceptional regulatory restriction, meaning you had to limit liquids to 100ml.

“Although the 100ml rule is still in place, we constantly have non-compliant bags with liquids over the allowance, which has made our equipment inefficient and resulted in extended waiting times for customers.

“It is now imperative that all customers comply with the national rule to ensure a smoother and simpler transition through the airport.”

On Sunday, insiders claimed queues currently seen at the airport could last for months and the airport is “understaffed”, leaving staff “overworked” and “struggling”.

The rules, which have been re-introduced as part of a government directive, prevent passengers from leaving Birmingham Airport with liquids, pastes and gels larger than 100ml in their hand luggage until further notice.

The problem was initially believed to stem from staff shortages and the time it took to complete the new security hall upgrade, with the source adding that the airport would have had to hire additional security staff to combat these issues.

In response, airport bosses said an “ongoing recruitment campaign for security officers” was in place and added that missed or delayed flights were “not necessarily” their fault.

Trouble began on Thursday, with long queues forming as new rules for carrying liquids caused confusion among passengers.

The chaos wasn’t eased like it was on Friday, and over the weekend people showed up three hours early for their flights but still found themselves stuck in long lines at security.

Birmingham Airport said in a statement that in addition to security delays caused by the new technology, “ongoing construction work on site” added to the “usual busy morning” as customers waited in ” long skinny tails’.

The latest statement given to MailOnline by Birmingham Airport says: ‘The airport has invested £60m of privately funded money into its new security search area. An area that has been designed and resourced to accommodate the increase to two liters carried in hand luggage, this cannot currently be operated with the temporary restriction.

“Queues can be seen daily at peak times, which is natural for any airport. An image of a tail is subjective and in the moment, at that moment.

“Following the new 100ml restriction, we have today installed ‘liquid check stations’ at all entrances to the terminal, where colleagues assist passengers directly to ensure liquid containers over 100ml are removed. The outdoor queues seen today are from “liquid check stations”.

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“With these additional checks we have noticed that a large proportion of customers are still arriving with liquids over 100ml in their bags and these unfortunately need to be removed and disposed of. Containers that can carry more than 100 ml are allowed, but must be completely empty.

“Our security throughput has been continuous today, aided by these additional checks, and we welcome and appreciate the cooperation of our passengers in removing oversized liquids from their hand luggage.

“Now more than ever, it’s imperative that customers follow the 100ml rule. This additional level of control risks slowing down the security process without passenger support.

“We have continuously planned this transition from our old security area to our new one and have considered the impact of construction work, new equipment and unfamiliar holding areas.

“Approximately one million passengers use our airport every month, most of whom have a good experience despite the ongoing construction work.

“In addition to the changes we made for our customers, we also took care of our colleagues. As part of the building work, a new peer support area has been created to include a large breakout area, dedicated toilets, a prayer room and a quiet room.

“We have worked with our teams since the beginning of development work, with colleagues contributing to the design of both the new security search room and their wellness area, and we continue to do so.

“We have an ongoing campaign to recruit security officers as the process is rightly long, with assessment centers and classrooms scheduled every month throughout the year to support the recruitment and training of new colleagues.”