Dozens of holidaymakers miss flights from Leeds Bradford Airport as queues and staff shortages worsen

LBA have said as many as 67 passengers missed their flights while others suggested the number could be as high as 200.

The airport confirmed they are currently experiencing longer queuing times than normal going through security.

These intensify during peak travel times between 5am and 9am in the morning and late afternoon.

In a statement provided to the YEP, a spokesperson said:

"We would like to apologise to those impacted and we’re working hard to overcome these challenges with ongoing recruitment and training activities and more staff being released to the operation from training each week.

"Unfortunately, these current challenges are an industry wide problem, caused by the speed of withdrawal of travel restrictions and testing which has led to the rapid recovery of international travel.

"We are actively managing queues to pull people to the front as their flights near departure, which ensures that very few passengers have missed flights."

Passenger numbers in March are almost three times greater than in January and continue to grow. Airports across the country are being impacted by lead times to recruit and train additional staff.

Disgruntled passengers have taken to social media in recent days to voice their displeasure at the increasing wait times.

"The management of security at Leeds Bradford airport was disgraceful this afternoon." tweeted one user. "The staff were working under immense stress and pressure and were doing their very best."

Another described 6am queues "stretching the length of the terminal."

While another described them as the "worst queues I’d ever seen at Leeds Bradford."

Airport officials insist the passengers worst impacted are mainly those who arrive at the airport late or those who have some form of security issue related to their bags.

LBA are recommending passengers:

Arrive early - Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport three hours prior to their flight departure time.

Prepare your carry-on baggage - Remove all large electronic devices, carry liquids and gels less than 100ml in a 1 litre zip lock bag.

Empty your pockets - Remove all items from pockets, remove any jackets or coats and remove any boots or high heeled shoes and put them and pocket contents through the x-ray machines.

Leeds Bradford is confident that with additional staff being recruited the situation will return to more normal queuing times in the coming weeks.