Chaos At Airports Across Australia Due To Passport Machine Outage
Thousands of travellers arriving in Australia have been left stranded due to issues with the ePassport gates.
The lengthy queues snaked through terminals in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane international airports, on Monday morning.
Around 2,000 passengers were packed into Sydney's international customs checkpoint at one stage, with similar issues in Melbourne.
Dozens of travellers took to social media to vent their frustration as huge crowds continued to jam into the overflowing terminals.
https://twitter.com/adamliaw/status/1122601830976905216?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
All inbound and outbound passengers had to be processed manually as Border Force worked to resolve the issue.
"Additional staff were deployed to help minimise the delays," ABF said in a statement on social media. "Passengers are encouraged to arrive early to allow additional time for processing".
The affected e-gates were back up and running by midday.
Melbourne Airport issued a statement thanking passengers for their patience.
While Brisbane Aiport urged travellers to check their flight status with their airline.