Yahoo Finance Priti Patel was warned about Easter travel chaos a month ago
Priti Patel was warned a month ago about a looming wave of travel chaos after passport control staff were sent to deal with the Dover migrant crisis instead.
Airline chiefs told the Home Secretary in March that a lack of Border Force workers could spark massive passenger queues at terminals across Britain.
The Easter getaway has been marred by dozens of flight cancellations and lengthy waits as passengers try to board their aircraft, driven by severe staff shortages at check-in desks and among flight crews. The Government is insisting that airlines and airports are responsible for the departure chaos.
Airlines UK, the trade body for the likes of British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair, said last month in a leaked letter to Ms Patel that urgent action was needed to prevent mayhem as summer schedules began in April. The letter suggested that Border Force - which is responsible for immigration and customs checks - had also raised concerns internally.
It said: “Border Force has signalled that the resourcing of the border this summer is expected to be ‘challenging’ and ‘bumpy’ as passenger numbers increase.
“Avoiding a travel season marred by scenes at airports that were too common pre-pandemic, with immigration queues of more than two hours at key gateways broadcast around the world, must be a priority.”
Ms Patel was urged to “to address the challenges ahead”.
The letter said: “This could include exploring the assumptions underpinning Border Force’s expectation - including passenger numbers forecasts and staffing - to ensure resources match demand.”
The Home Office said its “number one priority was maintaining a secure border”.
Meanwhile, a row erupted between easyJet and the Government over delays to vetting checks.
EasyJet chief Johan Lundgren said that around 100 new members of staff were awaiting clearance from authorities to begin work. But last night the Cabinet Office spokesman said: “There are absolutely no delays to security vetting of applicants.”
They added: "It is for the aviation industry to manage resourcing at airports and staff absences.”
Separately, The Telegraph can also disclose that protests by Extinction Rebellion at fuel depots threaten to pile even more misery on holidaymakers hoping to fly abroad this Easter.
Aviation industry leaders held crisis talks with government officials late last week after Birmingham Airport scrambled to avoid running out of aviation fuel.
Jets were asked to land at the airport with extra supplies so that they did not need to refill following the obstruction of deliveries at a nearby depot.
Airline and airport representatives are understood to have on Tuesday held fresh talks with Border Force officials amid concerns over the return of holidaymakers from their Easter break.
Border Force staff were reassigned from airports to deal with other issues such as the English Channel migrant crisis during the pandemic after most flights were grounded due to travel restrictions.
One senior industry figure said: "There were some concerns that a lot of Border Force staff had been taken out of airports and whether we would get them back again."
Long queues at airports showed no signs of abating on Tuesday as operators struggled to cope with large numbers of passengers, many of whom were going abroad for the first time in two years. More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled since the start of the Easter school holidays.
Industry leaders have pointed the finger at Whitehall. They say it is taking up to twice as long to complete security vetting procedures.
A spokesman for Airlines UK said: “We are working closely and productively with all parts of Government to ensure we have the right levels of resource across the sector, including at the border. We knew things would be bumpy for the travel sector ramping up its operations from virtually nothing and are working hard to ensure things are back to normal as quickly as possible.
“We are not apportioning blame to anyone, rather trying to work constructively across industry and with Ministers to resolve the problem.”
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “Those travelling in and out of the UK over the busy Easter period may face longer wait times than usual due a high number of passengers and as we ensure all passengers are compliant with the security and immigration measures put in place to keep us safe.
“Border Force’s number one priority is to maintain a secure border, and we will not compromise on this. We are mobilising additional staff to help minimise queuing times for passengers and will continue to deploy our staff flexibly to manage this demand.”
Birmingham Airport insisted the fuel shortages had not led to cancellations. Andrew Holl, director of airfield operations for Birmingham Airport, said: “The protests at Kingsbury depot caused minor delivery problems but our operations were largely unaffected because we sourced fuel from other depots and some incoming aircraft were asked to come with enough fuel on board for their return trips.”
