Latest news with #BernardQuintin
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Europe's worst airport for queues named - with waiting times up to five hours
Holidays are supposed to be about switching off and relaxing, but unfortunately the airport might have other ideas. A new study has revealed the European airports where British tourists are most likely to face queues at passport control. According to The Telegraph, Brussels Airport is the hub where British tourists are most likely to hit chaos. Earlier this year, travellers reported having to wait in five-hour queues at passport control, with one passenger telling The Brussels Times: 'After a long flight, it's inhumane to expect us to stand for that long.' In a Tripadvisor review, one passenger, 'Beverly M', wrote: 'Awful experience - passport control is a shambles! So poorly organised - you shouldn't have to wait three hours to get through passport control and then try to look for your luggage. 'Sorry Belgium, but I won't be back in your country. The only good thing is that there are airport staff giving out bottles of water.' Another traveller, 'UOI', said: 'Huge bottleneck in Brussels Airport. The line for customs/immigration has taken one hour and 47 minutes and still counting!' But things could be looking up in Brussels ahead of the summer as Belgium's Interior Minister recently announced the country is introducing a 'summer plan' to reduce queues at border control. According to The Telegraph, Brussels Airport is the worst hub for chaos at passport control Bernard Quintin said that additional staff would be brought in to work on passport control, in good news for any Brits heading to Brussels this summer. The Telegraph reports that Paris is Europe's next worst offender for lengthy queues at passport control. Charles de Gaulle Airport has faced issues with a shortage of border guards which has led to chaotic queues at passport control. Problems are reportedly worse around major events such as last year's Paris Olympics and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. After Brussels and Paris, The Telegraph reports that Spain and Portugal's airports are often particularly bad for passport queues. As both European destinations are popular spots with British tourists, queues at the border have become much more chaotic since Brexit. In May, British travellers became trapped at an overcrowded passport control in Tenerife. The nightmare unfolded after several UK flights arrived in quick succession and caused severe delays. Passengers said people were 'visibly distressed' while one described the airport's conditions as 'inhumane'. Spanish authorities promised to increase the number of border guards at the airport after the incident so conditions may have improved ahead of the summer. And British tourists could fall foul of travel chaos before they've even left the UK. A new study has found that Southampton is the UK's worst airport for cancelling flights, with Belfast, London City, Aberdeen and Glasgow close behind.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Europe's worst airport for queues revealed with passengers waiting FIVE hours at security
Plus, the full list of the world's worst airports for queueing WAIT UP Europe's worst airport for queues revealed with passengers waiting FIVE hours at security WE ALL know the golden rule of flying - arrive at least three hours before an international flight. But sometimes, there's nothing you can do to beat the queues. Now, the world's worst airports for wait times have been revealed, and Brussels has reportedly left passengers standing in line for five hours. 4 Brussels International Airport has had queues of up to five hours Credit: Alamy 4 It's one of the busiest thanks to the amount of international passengers Credit: Alamy The airport in the capital of Belgium is a hugely busy airport, sometimes seeing 70,000 passengers a day - resulting in particularly long wait times. The Telegraph has put together a list of the worst airports based on four- or five-star reviews for 'airport queueing time' on While Brussels actually landed in 14th place, it did get a 'special mention' for its incredibly long queues. There have been reports of lines that have left passengers waiting for five hours just to get through security alone. One passenger told the Brussels Times: 'After a long flight, it's inhumane to expect us to stand for that long." There has also been reports of long queues at passport control which has resulted in the Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) promising to take action, according to Aviation Direct. The fact that Brussels is a huge airport welcoming lots of international flights could be a factor in its wait times. A lot of passengers are going through visa checks, which will take longer to complete. The airport is taking action to try and avoid queues, especially as it's set to get busy with summer traffic. On 'orange days' when increased passenger volume is expected, capacity will be increased by 30 per cent. Discover the Best of Brussels in 60 Seconds 4 Brussels wasn't the the airport with the longest wait times though On 'red days', when the highest passenger numbers are forecast, an increase of as much as 40 per cent is planned. Airports with the longest queues include Grenoble, Berlin, Hurghada, Belfast International and Venice Treviso. Two UK airports also made the list - London Stansted and Luton. London Luton has average recorded wait times of 42 minutes including security and passport control, while London Stansted is 41 minutes. The UK airport with the longest wait time was Birmingham, with the average wait time at security being 29 minutes. Standing at passport control will add an extra 18 minutes at the regional airport. One of Europe's busiest airports is getting a new £3.6bn terminal next year offering a 'glimpse into future of travel'. And a major UK airport's plans for millions more passengers ahead of £1.1bn expansion – with new flights to Europe this year. The World's Worst Airports For Queues Percentage of passengers who gave four- or five-star reviews for 'airport queueing time' on Grenoble, France: 1.59 per cent Montego Bay, Jamaica: 3.23 per cent Berlin, Germany: 5.73 per cent Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: 6.98 per cent Bordeaux, France: 7.01 per cent Paris Beauvais, France: 8.77 per cent Hurghada, Egypt: 8.82 per cent London Stansted, UK: 8.88 per cent Newark, US: 9.09 per cent London Luton, UK: 9.48 per cent Heraklion, Greece: 9.68 per cent Honolulu, US: 9.72 per cent Belfast International, UK: 10.53 per cent Brussels, Belgium: 10.77 per cent Geneva, Switzerland: 10.79 per cent Kuwait International: 11.11 per cent Lyon, France: 11.11 per cent Aruba: 11.54 per cent Kos, Greece: 11.54 per cent Venice Treviso, Italy: 11.54 per cent
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Europe's worst airport for queues revealed with passengers waiting FIVE hours at security
WE ALL know the golden rule of flying - arrive at least three hours before an international flight. But sometimes, there's nothing you can do to beat the queues. Now, the world's worst airports for wait times have been revealed, and Brussels has reportedly left passengers standing in line for five hours. 4 4 The airport in the capital of Belgium is a hugely busy airport, sometimes seeing 70,000 passengers a day - resulting in particularly long wait times. The Telegraph has put together a list of the worst airports based on four- or five-star reviews for 'airport queueing time' on While Brussels actually landed in 14th place, it did get a 'special mention' for its incredibly long queues. There have been reports of lines that have left passengers waiting for five hours just to get through security alone. One passenger told the Brussels Times: 'After a long flight, it's inhumane to expect us to stand for that long." There has also been reports of long queues at passport control which has resulted in the Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) promising to take action, according to Aviation Direct. The fact that Brussels is a huge airport welcoming lots of international flights could be a factor in its wait times. A lot of passengers are going through visa checks, which will take longer to complete. The airport is taking action to try and avoid queues, especially as it's set to get busy with summer traffic. On 'orange days' when increased passenger volume is expected, capacity will be increased by 30 per cent. Discover the Best of Brussels in 60 Seconds 4 On 'red days', when the highest passenger numbers are forecast, an increase of as much as 40 per cent is planned. Airports with the longest queues include Grenoble, Berlin, Hurghada, Belfast International and Venice Treviso. Two UK airports also made the list - London Stansted and Luton. London Luton has average recorded wait times of 42 minutes including security and passport control, while London Stansted is 41 minutes. The UK airport with the longest wait time was Birmingham, with the average wait time at security being 29 minutes. Standing at passport control will add an extra 18 minutes at the regional airport. One of Europe's busiest airports is getting a new £3.6bn terminal next year offering a 'glimpse into future of travel'. And a major UK airport's plans for millions more passengers ahead of £1.1bn expansion – with new flights to Europe this year. 4
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Europe's worst airport for queues revealed with passengers waiting FIVE hours at security
WE ALL know the golden rule of flying - arrive at least three hours before an international flight. But sometimes, there's nothing you can do to beat the queues. Now, the world's worst airports for wait times have been revealed, and Brussels has reportedly left passengers standing in line for five hours. Advertisement 4 Brussels International Airport has had queues of up to five hours Credit: Alamy 4 It's one of the busiest thanks to the amount of international passengers Credit: Alamy The airport in the capital of Belgium is a hugely busy airport, sometimes seeing 70,000 passengers a day - resulting in particularly long wait times. While Brussels actually landed in 14th place, it did get a 'special mention' for its incredibly long queues. There have been reports of lines that have left passengers waiting for five hours just to get through security alone. Advertisement Read More on Airports One passenger told the There has also been reports of long queues at passport control which has resulted in the Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) promising to take action, according to The fact that Brussels is a huge airport welcoming lots of international flights could be a factor in its wait times. A lot of passengers are going through visa checks, which will take longer to complete. Advertisement Most read in News Travel The airport is taking action to try and avoid queues, especially as it's set to get busy with summer traffic. On 'orange days' when increased passenger volume is expected, capacity will be increased by 30 per cent. Discover the Best of Brussels in 60 Seconds 4 Brussels wasn't the the airport with the longest wait times though On 'red days', when the highest passenger numbers are forecast, an increase of as much as 40 per cent is planned. Advertisement Airports with the longest queues include Grenoble, Two UK airports also made the list - The UK airport with the longest wait time was Birmingham, with the average wait time at security being 29 minutes. Advertisement Standing at passport control will add an extra 18 minutes at the regional airport. One of And a The World's Worst Airports For Queues Percentage of passengers who gave four- or five-star reviews for 'airport queueing time' on Grenoble, France: 1.59 per cent Montego Bay, Jamaica: 3.23 per cent Berlin, Germany: 5.73 per cent Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: 6.98 per cent Bordeaux, France: 7.01 per cent Paris Beauvais, France: 8.77 per cent Hurghada, Egypt: 8.82 per cent London Stansted, UK: 8.88 per cent Newark, US: 9.09 per cent London Luton, UK: 9.48 per cent Heraklion, Greece: 9.68 per cent Honolulu, US: 9.72 per cent Belfast International, UK: 10.53 per cent Brussels, Belgium: 10.77 per cent Geneva, Switzerland: 10.79 per cent Kuwait International: 11.11 per cent Lyon, France: 11.11 per cent Aruba: 11.54 per cent Kos, Greece: 11.54 per cent Venice Treviso, Italy: 11.54 per cent 4 There have been reports of people queueing in Brussels Airport for five hours Advertisement
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Belgium reinforces police forces at Antwerp harbour to fight drug violence
Belgium is reinforcing maritime police forces at the harbour of Antwerp to fight rising drug violence. While attending daily inspections of the Antwerp maritime police forces, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin confirmed the hiring of 100 extra people. ""They currently have 212 people and will increase to 333. So, more than a hundred people extra," the interior minister said. The fight against drug violence starts in the port of Antwerp. More than 7,000 people were checked at the port last year. 51 suspects have already been arrested this year, mostly so-called 'drug collectors'. Combatting drug violence is a key goal of Belgium's new government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever. These efforts are being accelerated after the country's capital Brussels saw a wave of drugs-related violence in recent weeks. Six shootings took place around Clemenceau Metro station in the area of Anderlecht in the span of two weeks, killing two people. Quintin and Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden held emergency talks on Monday to discuss the issue of drug-related violence. Measures include reinforcing police forces in Brussels and Antwerp.
