'Appalling' queues await at London Heathrow
12th July 2012
Lengthy delays at Heathrow airport's passport control are already causing disruption, ahead of the arrival of Olympic visitors
UK politicians are wading into the problem after it became clear delays were already beginning to form over the past week. Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz is involved in the criticisms after he visited the airport to check if improvements had been put in place. He stated: “I was appalled by the length of immigration queues.”
Immigration Minister Damian Green has accused Keith Vaz of being 'confused' and refused to admit that people had been queuing for an hour; stating that it was actually 54 minutes.
The number of Olympic tourists arriving is still set to peak, but Damian Green has promised they will be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
"By the start of peak Olympic arrivals, there will be up to 500 additional staff on our rotas across the country – this includes enough staff at Heathrow to cover every desk during busy times.”
The airport has plans to implement fast track lanes for Americans, visitors from major Commonwealth countries, and other 'low-risk' tourists from 'trusted countries'. If visiting the UK this summer, in order to cut down your own queuing time we advise you have all necessary documents filled in and ready to hand over, as well as having your passport ready for inspection.
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