Bristol Airport issues apology as 'IT failure' sparks long early morning queues

Bristol Airport has issued an apology to passengers after an IT failure sparked large queues in departures.

People were left queuing for more than an hour in the early hours of this morning (27 July) due to a failure involving the airport's automatic gates which read boarding passes.

The issue has now been resolved, with queues now back down to around 15 minutes.

One passenger branded the incident an "absolute disgrace", posting a photograph of the queue (above) saying: "Having already queued an hour to go through security, I still have this to go through this."

In a statement, the airport said: "Our automatic gates that read boarding cards suffered an IT failure in the early hours.

"This was fixed by 4.30am but because this is a busy period, it did mean that queues quickly built up.

"We’re sorry to all passengers affected."

So far during the summer holidays, passengers at Bristol Airport have not had to face the large queues seen during the May half term.

Staff shortages across the UK led to long queues at airport check-ins and security throughout the May half term.

Airlines have since cancelled flights to try to ensure passengers experience smooth journeys throughout the busy summer period.

Bristol Airport has also started a recruitment push in a bid to fill around 150 staff vacancies.

As part of plans to try to reduce queues, easyJet has reintroduced its 'twilight bag drop' at Bristol Airport.

It means anyone who is departing before 8.30am can drop off checked bags the evening before.

A spokesperson for the airline said: "Just head to our bag drop with your passport and boarding passes, and we’ll take care of the rest. Your bags will be ready to collect when you arrive at your destination."