‘No urgency, no apologies, absolute chaos’: Passengers reveal how they were left waiting for hours at Birmingham airport amid confusion over new 100ml liquid rules as evening queues continue to snake outside the terminal into the evening

Chaos at Birmingham Airport has rolled into this evening, as holidaymakers continue to queue for hours outside the terminal amid confusion over the new 100ml liquid rules.

Frustrated passengers have been facing hours-long queues today as they make their way through airport security — but customers say the lines are moving.

Photographs show families lining up outside the terminal entrance, wheeling their suitcases and holding their hand luggage, as queues snake around the side of the building. 

Delays have been put down to ongoing building works a the airport, as well as a new technology which has been installed, allowing people to travel with liquids of up to two litres in their bags.

Sharon Martin spent just under two hours in the queue today and said it ‘has to be a record for me’. 

Another woman on social media said she went to ‘bag drop’ after queuing and was ‘directed back out of the airport to queue to get back in. Carnage’. 

Mark Toone, from Derby, added: ‘Just spent 1 hour 35 minutes in the queue, absolute chaos. Our 3-year-old had a hysterical meltdown at an hour in and we managed to get into the fast-track lane. 

‘I believe that saved us another 30 minutes of queuing. Staff standing around looking bemused and laughing to each other in the actual security area. No urgency to their work. No apologies, nothing.’

Frustrated passengers have been facing hours-long queues today as they make their way through airport security — but customers say the lines are moving

Huge gueues have formed outside the terminal and snaked around the side of the building 

Inside Birmingham Airport where people eagerly await going through security to the department lounge 

One customer posted: ‘@bhx_official embarassing state of affairs at #BHX. 2 hours start to finish. People collapsing all around the place 

People queue for hours at Birmingham Airport to get through security 

Birmingham Airport met the deadline at the start of this month to install the new 3D scanners, but officials at the West Midlands hub decided to combine both the old and the new rules for carrying liquids ‘until further notice’.

The airport said the former 100ml limits still apply, but passengers will be allowed to carry them inside their hand luggage instead of being separately screened, which has sparked confusion amongst passengers. 

One holidaymaker revealed on social media earlier today that he made his gate ‘with minutes to spare’ only because he ‘pleaded’ to skip the security queue.

‘Travelling from Birmingham Airport is an absolute shambles. It has the longest queue for security that I’ve ever seen in my 49 years,’ he said.

Furious passengers have faced hours-long queues at Birmingham Airport today amid confusion over new 100ml liquid rules

Several images have been posted online this morning showing long queues snaking round outside the airport’s front doors

‘And check in desks open 2 hours before, despite tickets recommending 3 hours. If you’re booking holiday now avoid it like the plague. 

‘Got to the gate with minutes to spare. And only because I jumped out of the line and pleaded my case. Hundreds will have missed flights. This was at 4am.’

How 3D scanners are to spell the end for 100ml liquid limits

The current rules on liquids states that flyers are only allowed to carry containers of 100ml in hand luggage. 

This year, however, passengers at select airports will be able to carry 330ml containers (2L) through security.

Similar to those used in hospitals, new CT scanners take high-resolution 3D images allowing luggage to be checked precisely without the need to remove items, thus speeding up the security process. 

It means travellers will be able to leave liquids, laptops and electronics inside their baggage when they walk through security.

Baggage rules will still vary between different airlines, so passengers are urged to check before travelling. 

Birmingham Airport said in a statement that alongside the security delays with the new technology, ‘on-going building works on-site’ have added to the ‘usual busy morning’ as customers have waited in ‘long and skinny queues’. 

It is the latest example of chaos at a British airport following the e-gate mayhem last month, which saw families waiting hours with no ‘food or water’ after the passport IT system collapsed ‘nationwide’.

The fault with the e-gates left stranding passengers in ever lengthening queues in arrivals halls and in some cases trapping them on planes.

The ‘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. 

The fallout from the disruption continues 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. 

Discussing the decision to retain the previous 100ml limit, Birmingham Airport said: ‘In due course this new equipment will allow liquids of up to two litres to be taken through in cabin baggage, however some restrictions temporarily remain in place.

‘Until further notice, passengers are advised that they can only carry liquids up to 100ml, albeit it can stay in hand luggage and no longer needs to be in a plastic bag.’ 

Birmingham Airport was one of the very few UK airports to meet the government deadline for installing the new scanners by June 1.

Four main UK airports revealed yesterday they won’t be able to scrap the strict 100ml liquid rules until next year in a fresh blow for holidaymakers.

London Gatwick, London Stansted, East Midlands and Manchester Airport are among those to admit they have missed the deadline, revealing the scanners will not be in place until 2025. 

Birmingham and Bristol Airport both announced they would install the machines along with Teesside, Southend, Iverness, Stornoway and Aberdeen Airport.

Some passengers have reported how many have missed their flights while others made it to their gates with minutes to spare after pleading to be let through

The delays come amid confusion over new 3D security scanners at Birmingham airport

A look at the massive queues outside Birmingham Airport’s front doors this morning

The current rules – which state that liquids can only be carried in containers of up to 100ml – were brought into place in 2006 after police foiled a terrorist plot to bring down at least seven transatlantic flights with liquid explosives disguised as 500ml drinks bottles. 

Now, new fast-track 3D scanners will produce more detailed images, meaning passengers can pass through airport security with containers holding up to two litres of liquid in their hand luggage.

The new technology is said to slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage. 

But, despite this addition, with the old rules in place massive delays have been reported at Birmingham in recent weeks with some revealing they have missed flights. 

Al Titterington, the airport’s terminal operations director, said: ‘Once we receive the regulatory approval that will allow two litres to be carried as hand luggage through Birmingham airport, we will then be able to transform the customer experience with this world-class security screening equipment.

‘The airport looks forward being able to announce when it receives its regulatory approval for the carriage of two litres, until this time customers should prepare as above.’

Images of a massive queue snaking outside the airport’s front doors were taken this morning.

Anxious holidaymakers described the waiting times to get through security as the ‘longest they have ever seen’.

It comes after weeks of misery and delays at the airport where passengers have reported missing flights.

Kevin Brown, who is travelling from the airport today, shared a picture of the queues online with the caption: ‘Arrive at 5.30am for a 7.45am departure and met with this. Shameful.’

Holidaymaker Alison Woolhouse said she was told to join the huge queue outside the airport after checking her bags in. She described the scenes as ‘carnage’.

Holidaymakers have described the queues, which are pictured here going around the corner, as a ‘disgrace’

The new technology will slash waiting times by allowing passengers to leave laptops and liquids in their carry-on baggage

The queue time to get through security was said to have calmed down by around 8am, according to one passenger at the airport. 

John O’Brien said at 7.55am this morning: ‘Here now and it’s not bad at all. Forty minutes to queue from outside to get to security. Queue hasn’t stopped moving. Staff very helpful.’

The airport finished its £60million ‘state-of-the-art’ security hall upgrade in May after months of construction work. 

It will eventually allow passengers to carry liquids of up to two litres in cabin baggage but despite the work being completed, the airport said that ‘until further notice’ passengers would only be able to carry liquids of up to 100ml as ‘partial regulatory restrictions’ were in place.

Providing an update on the new security hall, a Birmingham Airport spokesperson said yesterday: ‘Birmingham Airport is one of the first UK airports to meet the June 1 Government deadline for the implementation of new security screening standards for passenger and cabin baggage. However, certain liquid restrictions will remain in place. 

Furious passengers shared their anger over the queues at Birmingham Airport online

Hundreds of travellers were stranded overnight at Stansted after the e-gate chaos last month

The walkway leading to passport control at Gatwick airport was full of people queuing for the Border Force

‘In due course this new equipment will allow liquids of up to two litres to be taken through in cabin baggage, however some restrictions temporarily remain in place. 

‘Until further notice, passengers are advised that they can only carry liquids up to 100ml, albeit it can stay in hand luggage and no longer needs to be in a plastic bag, when departing from Birmingham Airport.

‘The Airport has invested £60m in its new larger security area. This area is purpose built with simpler, streamlined equipment and will futureproof Birmingham Airport from its current 12 million passengers per year in 2024, to accommodate 18m passengers per annum by 2033.’

Today, a Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: ‘We had a usual busy morning at Birmingham Airport, with customers queuing in unfamiliar areas. The queue was long and skinny in parts however it moved quickly through the terminal. 

‘Although our new security hall is operational, we still have on-going building works on-site and are awaiting regulatory approval that will allow liquids of up to two litres to be taken through in cabin baggage. 

‘These building works will continue for the foreseeable future as we redevelop the airport, which is part of our planned, and previously announced, £300m investment.’