British passengers forced to stand in FOUR-HOUR queues after Portuguese passport workers call strike
EXCLUSIVE: British passengers forced to stand in FOUR HOUR queues, and children faint after Portuguese passport workers call unscheduled strike, ‘leaving only two employees…who went for lunch’
- Hundreds of tourists queued for four hours at Faro airport in Portugal.
- The situation is so dire that a child passed out while waiting in line today
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
In scenes every tourist dreads when traveling abroad, dozens of British tourists have been stuck in four-hour queues at a sweltering, hot airport in Portugal.
The video shows hundreds of disgruntled tourists standing in front of passport barriers at Faro airport after airport staff called an unscheduled strike.
The situation is so dire at the airport that a child fainted while waiting in line before being treated by paramedics.
Sam Jones, 36, from Essex, tells MailOnline he has been stuck in the queue, with people queuing for escalators and suspended stairs, for almost four hours after landing at Faro airport on 10:55 this morning.
Jones, a plumber, said the crowd was becoming more “agitated” after striking passport workers left only two border control officers to deal with the influx of tourists. And Jones said he was “pretty sure” those two staff members “went off to lunch and left us all here.”
In scenes every tourist dreads when traveling abroad, dozens of British tourists have been stuck in four-hour long queues at a sweltering, hot airport in Portugal.
The video shows hundreds of disgruntled tourists standing in front of passport barriers at Faro airport after airport staff called an unscheduled strike.
The situation is so dire at the airport that a child fainted while waiting in line before being treated by paramedics. In the picture: Chaotic scenes at Faro airport
Jones, who flew from Stansted airport to Portugal with 12 of his friends to spend a weekend golfing, said as soon as they landed at Faro airport, they were met with huge queues after passport workers call an unscheduled strike.
The gruesome footage shows a scene of chaos, with crowds of shocked passengers standing in a queue that was not moving. The images scroll to show hundreds of other tourists, with no space between them, lining up to go up the stairs and an escalator.
“People are screaming and thrashing and it’s very hot,” Jones said, adding that he was told he could be there for up to four hours and separated from most of his friends.
There are only two people open, and we’re pretty sure they just went to lunch and dropped us all off here.
He added: “At this rate, I don’t think I’ll make it to the golf course before I fly home on Monday.” I can’t imagine we’re going anywhere anytime soon.
Sam Jones, 36, from Essex (pictured right with his friend) tells MailOnline he has been stuck in the queue, with people lining up for escalators and suspended stairs, for almost four hours after landing at Faro airport at 10:55 am this morning
In scenes every tourist dreads when traveling abroad, dozens of British tourists have been stuck in four-hour long queues at a sweltering, hot airport in Portugal.
Horrifying footage shows a scene of chaos, with crowds of distraught passengers standing in a queue that was not moving.
The images scroll to show hundreds of other tourists, with no space between them, lining up to go up the stairs and an escalator.
Horrifying footage shows a scene of chaos, with crowds of distraught passengers standing in a queue that was not moving.
Jones said staff began removing passengers who had been standing for hours in the sweltering airport heat, adding that paramedics treated a child who passed out in the heat.
Last year there were chaotic scenes at passport control at Lisbon airport, with tourists queuing for hours.
Portuguese authorities blamed the chaos on the ‘exponential’ increase in arrivals at the country’s airports, as well as staff shortages, as travel has skyrocketed after the Covid-19 pandemic.
.