Boris demands Heathrow ends customs chaos
MAYOR Boris Johnson has expressed “serious concern” about long immigration queues at Heathrow airport and demanded to know how the UK Border Force will ensure that delays are kept to a minimum during the Olympics.
In a letter to home secretary Theresa May the mayor said the current situation at Heathrow “gives a terrible impression of the UK” to new arrivals.
Passengers have complained of queues lasting up to three hours at Europe’s busiest airport, a result of a stricter passport checks and reduced staffing levels.
“It is extremely unfortunate that, in a time of economic difficulties, when I as Mayor and the government are working so hard to attract inward investment to London and the UK, that our main port of entry is gaining such a poor reputation,” Johnson wrote.
He goes on to say that 80 per cent of visitors to this summer’s Olympics are expected to arrive through the airport, pushing the number of passengers up by 45 per cent from 95,000 to 138,000.
The government is attempting to reduce the number of Border Force staff by around a fifth from 2010 to 2015 but unions suggest that this has affected the organisation’s ability to meet expected levels of service.
Leaked emails, released at the weekend, show Border Force officials demanding that airport operator BAA cease distributing leaflets that apologised for the delay and suggested they complain to the Home Office.
Neil Carberry of the CBI said the delays could affect Britain’s ability to attract investment: “Heathrow is the first impression that nearly 70m business people and tourists have of the UK. An efficient Heathrow is essential to the UK’s reputation as an attractive place to do business.”
Heathrow handled 15.7m passengers in the first three months of 2012, up 4.4 per cent year-on-year.