Heathrow Christmas Covid testing Chaos: Heathrow passengers queue for as long as FOUR HOURS to collect PCR tests in order to receive their second day of isolation from the UK

  • Today hundreds queued at Heathrow Airport to get Covid test results
  • Terminal 2 passengers said they were forced to wait in corridors for as long as four hours by Terminal 2 passengers 
  • Staff at a testing center closing down is thought to have caused the problem. 
  • Comes after over 3,000 flights were cancelled worldwide on Christmas Eve










Heathrow Airport passenger today experienced more travel chaos when they had to wait for hours as there were problems with the arrivals testing facility.

Terminal 2 photos show endless lines of tired travellers waiting for their Covid testing. 

Some passengers were so angry that they waited up to four hours.

This comes as millions of people had to cancel their Christmas plans after over 3,000 international flights were cancelled on Christmas Eve. 

Staff shutting down one of their testing centers caused the huge delay, putting extra strain on one facility.

Passengers at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2 today faced more travel chaos as they were forced to queue for hours because of problems with arrival testing facilities

Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 passengers faced even more chaos today as they waited in line for hours due to problems at arrival testing.

MailOnline received a complaint from an upset passenger: “Currently, there is chaos at Heathrow Terminal 2 test center.

‘They appear to have booked in people in two test centres, and then closed one of them – so the queues are insane.

“I’ve been here 45 minutes and been informed by staff that there has been a four-hour wait for some people.”

“The line is not moving.” Staff are working as hard as they can, but someone has clearly f***ed up. The Christmas season is about to become a nightmare for me and the majority of my colleagues.

MailOnline reached out to Heathrow in order for them to comment. 

The huge hold-up is believed to have been caused by staff closing one of its testing centres, meaning extra pressure on the one open facility

According to some reports, the massive holdup was caused by staff closing one its testing centres. This added pressure placed on one facility that is still open.

Britain has been besieged by travel woes in the run-up to Christmas, with rail strikes and line problems cancelling hundreds of trains in the last week. 

Yesterday, several airlines reported that they were forced to cancel more than 1,500 flights due to inability to provide staffing because of the Omicron variant.

FlightAware’s flight tracker website FlightAware shows that 2,348 flights were grounded Christmas Eve while another 1,556 were already cancelled for tomorrow.

Today, China Eastern had 477 cancellations and United had 189. Air China was at number three with an additional 188.

United stated that the Omicron case spike nationwide had an ‘direct effect’ on the airline’s staffing, causing it to cancel its flights. 

Terminal Three at Heathrow Airport - the busiest in the country - was packed with flyers trying to get into the UK for Christmas Day

Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 was packed full of people looking to travel into the UK this Christmas Day.

Today, 13 UK departures and arrivals were cancelled by Heathrow Airport. Another 11 flights, five departures or six arrivals, have been cancelled in advance of Christmas Day.

Heathrow travelers were one of those who complained about having to wait for passport control to be completed. There was not enough Border Force personnel to assist them.

Amazing photos revealed hundreds of people crammed into lanes while they waited for their turn to wait. 

Hundreds of trains continued to be cancelled across the UK as operators were hit by Covid-related staff absences. Pictured: Euston train station on Christmas Eve

Many trains were cancelled in the UK, as Covid-related absences caused operators to lose hundreds of staff. Pictured: Euston train station on Christmas Eve

Many trains in the UK were cancelled as operators suffered from Covid-related staff absenteeisms.

Nearly one-fifth of all 20 trains were abandoned Monday. Eight operators have warned about the possibility of cancellations last minute.

According to RAC, there will be 5.3 million overnight and day trip travelers on Christmas Eve.

Transport Focus also conducted a survey with nearly 2,000 Brits. They found that 44% of them plan on traveling to celebrate the holiday season with their family.

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