Passengers departing from Gatwick Airport were unexpectedly gathered in car parks and smoking areas when a fire alarm triggered an evacuation. Flights departing from the airport were delayed this morning as a result of the incident, which led to the closure of the South Terminal for approximately 45 minutes.

Kevin Edger, a London resident, described the scene as chaotic with people running around in confusion. Although firefighters searched the terminal for the source of the alarm, no flames were found, suggesting it was a false alarm. Following the evacuation, passengers had to pass through airport security procedures again.

A Gatwick spokesperson stated that the South Terminal departure lounge was evacuated due to a fire alarm activation, assuring travelers that there was no actual fire. The departure lounge has since reopened, and the remaining passengers are being expedited through security. The spokesperson expressed gratitude for everyone’s cooperation and praised the swift response of the fire service.

In related news, the previous day saw significant delays at the border due to a passport e-gate failure nationwide. The failure caused lengthy queues, with some passengers waiting longer in line than their actual flight duration, as they were directed to a limited number of manned desks by Border Force personnel. Immigration minister Tom Pursglove attributed the incident to technical issues within the Home Office network, which engineers identified and resolved, bringing the e-gates back online shortly after midnight.

Overall, both the airport evacuation and the passport e-gate failure experienced in consecutive days caused disruptions for travelers, highlighting the importance of efficient response and technical maintenance in such critical infrastructure systems.