A Leeds gran has been left 'livid' after she was forced to climb up "sky high" stairs after escalators were switched off when she landed at Leeds Bradford Airport.
Karen, 60, from Leeds had been on holiday in Bodrum, a popular holiday city on the Turkish peninsula. She landed at Leeds Bradford Airport at 3:30 pm and was met with huge queues.
Karen said: "We landed with four planes at the same time, and our buses were queued up. I knew then that we may have a problem."
Read more: Another day of chaos at Leeds Bradford
Karen says she was even more horrified when she realised the escalators were not in service and everyone was having to take the full flight of stairs: "Look, I am quite fit for my age, and there were people worse off than me, who are much older and who were forced to take the stairs.
"There was absolutely nobody to help, or at least look out and see if those who were arriving needed help with access. They do not bother with old people at all."
Karen then endured a 90 minute wait but was relieved to get to the border control section, where she became outraged again after officials told her the long waits were a new norm. Karen said: "When I got to the passport front, I said thank God. I made conversations with the officials who then said this happens all the time now.
"I just can't understand what the queues are about now. It was never like this before the pandemic. It also wasn't like this in Bodrum either and there were lots of flights."
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport told Yorkshire Live the escalator was not broken but had been switched off for safety reasons given the long queues. The lifts were in service and working as an alternative for those who could not use the escalators.
Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “I apologise to all passengers recently impacted by queues at LBA and want to assure those looking to travel with us that we’re working hard to overcome these challenges. Staff shortages continue to be an issue for us, as well as other airports across the UK, but we are doing everything we can to get staff into positions that can ease the current pressures."
A spokesperson for Leeds Bradford Airport also referred questions about lengthy wait times to the Border Force, who he said are responsible for human traffic from arrivals up to the border. The Home Office, which is in charge of the Border Force acknowledged problems with wait times but said their priority was not speed but keeping a secure border.
A Home Office spokesperson, said: “As international travel continues to reopen and passenger numbers rise, we have been clear that queue times may be longer 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 security. We are working closely with Stansted Airport to ensure passengers have the smoothest possible journey, and we will continue to deploy our staff as flexibly as we can.”
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