British holidaymakers have been plunged into travel chaos for the second time in a week after Heathrow Airport was forced to shut one of its tunnels.
This morning, passengers are facing huge delays after a ‘technical fault’ caused a road tunnel connecting to Terminals 2 and 3 to close.
Roads leading up to the airport – one of the biggest in Europe – are gridlocked due to the closure, with some desperate flyers sprinting down the motorway with their luggage to catch their flights.
Other travellers spoke of the ‘utter chaos’ and said they felt like they were in ‘hell on earth’ and claimed to be ‘running out of air’ after getting stuck in airport amid ‘sweltering heat’.
Heathrow said that the issue has now been resolved, although there is ‘still congestion at the airport’ and passengers are being told to ‘allow extra time for their journeys’.
‘Earlier this morning a technical issue caused the closure of the main road tunnel into Terminals 2 and 3. This issue is now resolved and the tunnel has reopened,’ the statement read.
‘There is some congestion at the airport, and passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journey. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.’
It is the second incident to cause delays at the airport in just one week after an IT issue with a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) centre on Wednesday led to more than 100 cancellations of flight across the country.
Desperate flyers have also been spotted sprinting down the motorway with their luggage in hand after a technical fault caused a Heathrow tunnel to close
A sea of passengers wait outside Heathrow Airport terminals two and three which have been closed today due to a ‘technical fault’
Dozens of vehicles can be seen gridlocked on roads leading up to the airport on Tuesday
The chaos has caused panic for travellers on one of the busiest weeks of the summer holidays. Frustrated passengers have shared Images of traffic filling the motorway as well as pictures of huge queues inside the airport.
One penned on X: ‘People running with their luggage in the roads. Shameful.’ Another added: ‘People running dragging cases on the motorway now. Find a solution!’
Others inside the airport said ‘confused, stressed’ passengers have been left with no idea ‘what is happening’ and complained that airport staff were not helping the situation.
‘Hey @HeathrowAirport – do better!! Utter chaos today. No staff helping massive amounts of confused, stressed passengers,’ one user wrote.
A fourth person said: ‘Been at Heathrow for an hour caught between the lifts and terminal tunnel and no one knows what is happening, this country is knackered.’
National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing ‘severe delays’ on the road.
They posted to X: The #M4 Heathrow Spur (at J4) into T2 and T3 is being CLOSED. For access to #HeathrowAirport please use the #M25 J14 and head towards T5.
‘There are already severe delays on the spur road. Please allow extra time if heading to the airport this morning.’
Passengers queue inside Heathrow Airport after a ‘technical issue’ caused the tunnel to terminals one and two to close
Dozens of passengers are seen crammed inside the busy Airport. Some Other claimed they felt like they ‘were running out of air’ after getting stuck in an underground tunnel linking the two busy hubs
A statement released by the airport this morning on social media explained there was an issue causing a key route to Terminals 2 and 3 to be closed
National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing ‘severe delays’ on the road
Images of traffic filling the motorway were shared alongside the post showing long queues
The technical error comeas less than a week a technical glitch at a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) control centre in Swanwick, Southampton, caused scores of planes to be cancelled across the UK.
By the time the system was ‘fully operational’ again, thousands of passengers were already facing delays of up to five hours, while more than 150 flights to and from the UK were cancelled.
Furious passengers were forced to put their holidays on hold after months of planning, while others feared missing out on their loved ones’ weddings as a result of the unknown issue.
Some desperate Brits were also faced with the nightmarish dilemma of sleeping in airports or splashing out hundreds of pounds on overnight accommodation after being ‘dumped’ by their airlines at home and overseas.
Martin Rolfe, the millionaire head of taxpayer-backed Nats, faced calls to step down following the chaos.
He was ‘summoned’ onto an urgent call with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander where he confirmed the incident was an ‘isolated event’, adding ‘there is no evidence of malign activity’.
Revealing the cause of meltdown, an insider told The Times: ‘This was a genuine software error and the back-up systems worked as they should. They run a different programme so there is no chance of the same issue happening twice.’
Traffic built up on the motorway due to the tunnel into Terminals 2 and 3 being closed
Heathrow airport also recently pledged to cut waiting times at airport security.
Heathrow promised that 95 per cent of passengers will pass through security in under five minutes by 2031.
The airport is also planning to redesign its terminals to improve the passenger experience by creating 70,000 sqm more space for travellers, reports The Times.
Terminals 3 and 5 are also set to get more shops and restaurants while the airport has pledged that 99 per cent of bags will arrive in time due to new technology.
The airport said the technology would mean that 1.25 million fewer bags ended up lost.
Heathrow’s new plans will form part of a £10bn investment to upgrade the passenger experience at the major airport.
While earlier this month, it unveiled its designs for a third runway.
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