Heathrow and other UK airports to relax counter-terrorism security checks on staff

Move aimed at tackling staff shortages that have led to flight cancellations and delays in airports

London's Heathrow Airport has been hit by four-hour queues over the Easter period, partly due to checks on new staff. Reuters

UK airports are set to relax counter-terrorism security checks on new staff, in an attempt to ease shortages that have contributed to travel chaos over the Easter period.

London's Heathrow Airport has been hit by four-hour queues and flight delays. It blamed the upheaval last week on coronavirus checks, but it has been compounded by high levels of Covid-19 sickness and resurgent passenger numbers following the ending of UK travel restrictions in March.

In the rush to secure more staff and mitigate the security-check obstacle, last week British Airways offered £1,000 ($1,300) “welcome bonuses” to cabin crew with safety clearances.

Now the UK government is seeking to alleviate the problem by allowing unvetted staff to train on airport premises in the coming weeks.

The news was revealed in a letter by UK aviation minister Robert Courts leaked to the The Telegraph. In the letter, he also said the training intake would not be allowed access to aircraft and runways.

At the moment, the UK Department for Transport can take up to 30 weeks to complete security checks — double the allotted time.

Budget UK airline easyJet is currently awaiting DfT clearance for 100 new employees.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the delay had contributed to the spate of flight cancellations.

“I understand the DfT and the ministers are doing what they can to accelerate and speed this up — which we find very constructive — but [the delay] definitely has had an impact.”

Mr Courts said an onerous vetting process was a vestige of the UK's membership of the EU.

“As the law on background checks was retained after the European Union exit, ministers do not have the powers to alleviate, as they do under other categories of aviation security regulation.”

The UK government said it was looking to “speed up job reference checks”, but had to balance this with the need to keep people safe.

While the rush to book holidays, coronavirus checks and sickness created a perfect storm for the industry, it hasn't stopped travel experts from criticising the chaotic scenes.

“Lessons should be learnt from the travel shambles this Easter,” said Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel.

“With many in the industry predicting a busy summer, the government must work with airlines and airports to ensure they have the resources and capacity to handle increased passenger numbers, as there can be no excuse for a repeat of these failings.”