E-gates at UK airports will now be available to younger children ahead of the peak summer holiday rush, the Home Office has announced, in a bid to stop longer waits when arriving.
Children aged eight and nine returning to the UK are eligible to use e-gates from this Wednesday. The policy means up to 1.5 million additional children will be able to use them, the Government said.
Most schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland recently broke up for the summer holidays, while those in England and Wales will do so later this month.
The gates use facial recognition to check passengers’ identities against the photo in their passport, often quicker than manual inspections. The UK has nearly 300 e-gates.
Children must be at least 120cm tall so they can be seen by biometric scanners, and accompanied by an adult.
Under previous rules, only passengers aged 10 and above were allowed to use the gates, forcing families with younger children to queue for passport booths.
In addition to the 13 UK airports with e-gates, children aged eight and nine are also now permitted to use them at ports in Brussels and Paris, where juxtaposed checks take place.
Border security minister Alex Norris said: “Today’s change will make journeys easier for families with small children and reduce the hassle of travelling home after a holiday.
“It will also free up more time for tourists to enjoy our fantastic country this summer and in the years ahead.”
Border Force director-general Phil Douglas previously said increasing access to e-gates enabled “highly skilled officers to focus on intercepting those who pose a threat to the UK”.
UK e-gates are available to Britons as well as nationals from the European Union and Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and the US.
They can also be used by members of the registered traveller service.
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