Strike action at Birmingham Airport 'should not affect passengers flying off for Christmas holidays'

But those flying in to the airport may face some delays.

Around 1,000 Border Force staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union at Birmingham, Manchester, Heathrow, Cardiff, Gatwick and Glasgow airports will strike every day from December 23 to the end of the year, except December 27.

The action is part of a bitter dispute over pay, pensions and jobs.

There are fears that delays in checking the passports of arriving passengers could lead to long queues and even people being held on planes, disrupting subsequent departures.

Birmingham Airport says all departing passengers to all destinations will be unaffected and arriving passengers from the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands will also be unaffected.

Nick Barton, chief executive of Birmingham Airport, said: “Throughout the Border Force strike period, we and our airlines partners will operate our normal schedule of flights both in and out of Birmingham Airport.

“The Border Force strike will not affect any departing passengers, irrespective of destination, and for inbound passengers we have mitigation plans which aim to make their entry into the UK as swift and easy as possible.”

A contingency team of Ministry of Defence personnel will cover absent Border Force workers at Birmingham Airport to keep the immigration and customs process working as effectively as possible on strike days.

Birmingham Airport customer service teams will also be on hand to help keep people moving as swiftly as possible and they will direct people into the correct queues

The reassurance from Birmingham Airport comes as airlines were urged by the aviation regulator to "look after their passengers" during the strikes.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said travellers should be given food, drinks and overnight accommodation as required if flights are delayed or cancelled, but warned that customers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation.

CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: "We anticipate UK Border Force strikes may lead to longer queues and wait times than normal when arriving at the UK border, as well as possible flight disruption.

"In the event of delays and cancellations, airlines have an obligation to look after their passengers.

"Where a flight is cancelled, airlines also have an obligation to help passengers find an alternative flight or to provide a refund, although, given the circumstances, passengers may be unable to get to their destinations as quickly as we or airlines would like.

"We expect airlines to do what they can to minimise the overall disruption to passengers, and this includes proactively providing passengers with updates and information about their rights when flights are disrupted.

"Border Force strikes are outside of the control of airlines so it is unlikely that customers will be entitled to compensation for any delays and cancellations arising from these strikes."

The Home Office has warned passengers to "be prepared to face longer wait times at UK border control".