Heathrow Airport is experiencing waits of three and sometimes six hours at border control, Emma Gilthorpe, its chief operating officer, told a home affairs select committee on Tuesday.
Passengers this month complained of having to wait up to seven hours, with one traveller calling it "inhumane".
Entry is controlled by the Border Force, managed by the Home Office.
Meanwhile, hundreds of staff who work at Heathrow passport control are set to take industrial action in a dispute over duty roster changes.
Unions representing Border Force officials said the delays were partly caused by Covid-19 restrictions, requiring immigration officials to work in a bubble of 10.
They said this prevented more staff from being stationed if the border was particularly busy.
Ms Gilthorpe said that before the pandemic, the queues for EU arrivals were supposed to be 25 minutes, and 45 minutes for non-EU arrivals.
She said she expected waiting times to increase during the pandemic but the current levels were "unacceptable".
"We are seeing significant pressure on the border and we are seeing very long queues, and that is a worry," Ms Gilthorpe said.
She said more resources had been introduced but the problems were caused by "the level of complexity of the processes" and the way those resources were being used.
International arrivals must now provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test result from 72 hours before departure to England.
The must fill out a passenger locator form that contains booking details for a hotel quarantine stay, or two test kits for at home quarantine.
"It is deeply frustrating as the operator of the airport when you have a queue full of people and you only have two desks open," Ms Gilthorpe said.
"It is rare to see all the desks manned and we have to find our way to how we make that happen so we can get that flow."
Heathrow's self-service e-gates at passport control are closed.
Ms Gilthorpe hoped that by the summer, the gates would also be able to scan locator forms and pre-departure testing results, but that had not yet been integrated into the system.
She said that if the long queues continued after international travel is allowed, it could endanger the country's economic resurgence.
"Heathrow is Britain's hub airport, it is the front door," Ms Gilthorpe said.
"We have to get our economy moving and we have to make sure we are capable of receiving people.
"If you have a poor experience at the border, there's a risk you won't come back again.
"That traffic will go to Charles de Gaulle, it will go to Frankfurt and we will miss out on that economic resurgence."
Staff in the PCS union served notice of industrial action over rosters they describe as "unworkable".
This will involve a month of action short of a strike by hundreds of staff, including working to rule and a ban on overtime.
Under the roster changes, staff will no longer be able to swap or request certain shifts, the union said.
In February, staff voted for strike action over the changes, the union said.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Result:
1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds
2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds
4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds
6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)
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