Airlines and airports could face fines of up to £50,000 if they allow passengers to bypass immigration controls, The Times reports today.
The Home Office is consulting on a new civil penalty regime to minimise the risk of travellers being “misdirected” on arrival in the UK.
However, the Airport Operators Association believes that the proposal is “disproportionate”.
Passengers arriving on scheduled flights must be directed to immigration control. In a small number of cases — officially known as “misdirections” — this does not happen.
Almost 1,000 passengers in 2014 were not brought to immigration control, according to government figures.
The Home Office said that this is usually because the wrong doors have been opened at the arrival gate, or because the airline or airport operator sent the passengers to the wrong place.
A Home Office spokesman told the newspaper: “We are determined to eradicate these errors and believe that a civil penalty is a vital tool in ensuring this happens.”