LONDON – Virgin Atlantic has joined British Airways in criticizing long waiting times at passport control at Heathrow Airport, releasing figures showing that the Border Force hit its target for processing passengers from outside the European Economic Area on just one day in July.

Virgin says passengers are “frustrated” as waits of more than two hours are becoming the norm. The Border Force target is to process 95 per cent of passengers within 45 minutes.

Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye has called on the government to allow visitors from low-risk countries such as the United States and Canada to use the same electronic border gates that European Union citizens can access.

The Home Office says delays were caused by a computer failure and the arrival of large numbers of vulnerable adults and children.