Children aged 10 and 11 will now be able to use the UK’s passport e-gates. Previously only children aged 12 and over were allowed to use the electronic gates.
The change will be implemented from Monday July 24 in a boost for family holidays. It is expected to cut waiting times for families with children in that age group.
The Government said the change had been approved after successful trials at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
More than 400,000 children aged 10 and 11 are expected to use e-gates in the UK this year. The gates are used at 13 airports around the UK.
Previously, families with children under the age of 12 had to go to a border officer to enter the UK.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the rollout would “make travelling easier for passengers” and “strengthen” the security of the UK’s borders.
He added: “The UK processes more passengers through e-gates than any other country and today’s announcement ensures we remain at the forefront of technology.”
However, the UK’s e-gate system has faced difficulties in the past including a technical crash at the end of May.
The disruption, which was caused by an IT issue, led to long queues for passengers arriving in the UK who all had to be manually processed.
This weekend marks one of the busiest travel periods of the year with families setting out at the start of the school holidays.
Tourists have been warned they could face heavy queues at the Port of Dover while roads are also likely to be busier than normal.
Source: express.co.uk