NewsUK NewsAir travelA pregnant woman reportedly fainted while queuing at Birmingham Airport as passengers branded queues 'absolutely unacceptable'13:16, 22 May 2026Updated 13:16, 22 May 2026A pregnant woman is said to have fainted while queuing for an hour at Birmingham Airport as passengers trying to get away for the May bank holiday and school half-term endured long security queues.‌The airport apologised and said wait times were longer than usual due to an "unexpectedly high level of staff absence because of sickness" on Friday morning. This meant travellers passed through fewer security screening lanes, which in turn created a backlog.‌Some passengers missed their flights as a result, with the airport working with airlines and affected passengers to rectify this, Birmingham Live reports.‌The airport said that at peak times queues were kept to under an hour, and that it were "taking immediate steps to address" the problem.Content cannot be displayed without consentPictures from inside the packed departure terminal showed dozens of frustrated passengers stuck in queues. One passenger wrote on X: "Total chaos in Birmingham Airport. The poor staff not sure what to do. We’re in express lane and not moved for 20 minutes." He added: "On flight eight minutes before take-off. Others have missed it."‌Another said: "Getting through the airport this morning was an absolute disgrace. Eight security machines, only three open and tens of thousands of people queuing. First and last time flying from this shambles of an airport. You should be embarrassed and ashamed."A third traveller wrote on X: "It’s not like a bank holiday weekend or the start of half term is an unscheduled event. Nonetheless, the absolute shambles @bhx_official. This morning is nothing less than inexcusable."Staff nowhere to be seen once in the queue, (btw this was the Express Lane). Flagrant abuse of assisted lane with sunflower lanyards, multiple large family groups trailing through behind one child sporting the lanyard.Article continues below"Meanwhile, a pregnant lady in front of me waiting her turn faints due to heat and having been stood for over an hour. #notgoodenough"The airport confirmed the issue was the result of staff sickness and said the average wait time was 21 minutes.A Birmingham Airport spokesperson told Birmingham Live: "This morning, passengers experienced longer than usual wait times at security due to an unexpectedly high level of staff absence, which meant we were unable to open the full number of screening lanes required. We recognise the impact this had on some passengers and apologise for the inconvenience caused."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Air travel