NI airport among those affected by UK-wide IT issues on Border Force system

One of NI’s main airports has been affected by a UK-wide system error that resulted in an outage in the UK Border Force computer system.

It comes as a number of airports across the UK have confirmed a nationwide issue is affecting its border systems.

UK Border Force are responsible for operating passport control, including e-gates, providing assistance to passengers where necessary.

A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said they were working with Border Force to resolve the issue.

“We are aware that Border Force is experiencing a network wide IT issue,” they said.

"We are working with Border Force to deploy their contingency plans to process all internationally arriving flights while the situation is resolved.

"We apologise to those passengers who may experience longer than expected processing times.”

George Best Belfast City Airport has also been approached for comment.

The malfunction has resulted in lengthy queues at a number of UK airports, with passengers left stranded as the authorities work to resolve the issue.

Problems have been reported at a significant number of major UK airports, including London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Manchester.

A UK Home Office spokesperson said they were aware of the problem.

"We are aware of a technical issue affecting e-gates across the country,” they said.

"We are working closely with Border Force and affected airports to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience caused."