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‘Total chaos’ at Heathrow Terminal 5 as staff forced to self-isolate

There were scenes of “total chaos” this morning at Heathrow airport check-in due to huge numbers of staff being forced to self-isolate.

Passangers complained of long queues at check-in at Heathrow Terminal 5, one of the two operating terminals at the London airport, due to a shortage of staff.

Social media was flooded with images of the disruption, all showing snaking queues for check-in desks and security.

One passenger said he estimated there were “more than a thousand” people trying to get through security at one point.

Passenger Kathryn Wylie tweeted that it was “total chaos”, while Barry Manners called it a “shambles”.

A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that the “congestion” in the departures area was due to staff members being told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.

They added: “We have activated additional team members to assist passengers with their journeys and the operation has now returned to normal. We apologise to our passengers for any inconvenience caused.”

It comes as train operators are warning that dozens of trains across Britain have been cancelled today due to staff shortages. 

The cause appears to be the so-called “pingdemic”, with essential staff being told to self-isolate because they have been in contact with a coronavirus case.

GWR said: “A shortage of train crew means that an amended Great Western Railway service will be in operation today, Monday 12 July, due to a significant number of staff having to self-isolate following notification from Test and Trace.”

London Victoria is seeing cancellations on links to the Sussex coast and some shorter-distance services.

This morning The Independent reported that passengers returning to the UK could face queues of three to four hours when amber list restrictions are lifted for vaccinated travellers next week.

Foreign travel is expected to receive a sudden boost when the rules are relaxed – but the influx of returning passengers could cause major delays at UK airports, border force is warning, as it is “not set up to cope with that sort of demand”.

Reference: Independent: Cathy Adams