Stansted Airport power surge disruption left arriving passengers in long queues on Sunday after a surge temporarily shut down airport systems. Traveller Jill Stakem said the airport’s internal tram system had failed earlier, adding to the delays reaching immigration control.
Stakem said people were held in a corridor for over 90 minutes. She added: “It's horrendous. No communication, no seating for people, no-one offering watering.”
Jill Stakem at Stansted Airport
A spokesperson for Stansted Airport said a power surge earlier today affected the airport and the local area, and that a number of airport systems were temporarily impacted. The airport said all systems were back in service, with operational teams working hard to provide support to passengers on their journeys through the airport.
Another airport spokesperson said the shuttle service remained out of service because of a technical fault. Contingency bussing was in operation to transfer passengers between the terminal and gates.
Gilles Corby on Sunday
Gilles Corby said queues to passport control extended into the departure terminals. He said: “Queues to passport control extend into the departure terminals.” He also said: “It has taken 45 minutes to reach the entrance of the actual immigration queue.”
The disruption came after some trains to and from the airport were cancelled on Saturday after damage was caused to overhead power lines. Last month, hundreds of people were stuck in a corridor in the airport after a shuttle service for arriving passengers ceased operating, a problem that matches the kind of bottleneck passengers faced again on Sunday.
Stansted Airport apologised for the disruption and inconvenience while services were being restored. For passengers arriving through the terminal, the immediate issue remained the same: movement through passport control depended on systems that had been interrupted, while the shuttle service stayed out of service and buses were carrying people instead.
