Air passengers arriving in Bermuda for the July 4 weekend were left frustrated and angry when they were forced to wait more than two hours to clear the airport.

Those waiting for loved ones to get through L.F. Wade International branded the delays “shambolic”, while visitors waiting for their luggage described how tensions rose inside the airport.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport told The Royal Gazette that the unexpected delay had been caused by multiple flights arriving at the same time.

“Passengers arriving on weather-delayed flights Saturday afternoon had a prolonged wait for their baggage,” the Ministry spokesperson said.

“The unexpected delayed arrival of several flights resulted in staffing limitations for the ground handler who, under the circumstances, and to the satisfaction and understanding of the airline involved, responded as best they could in a difficult circumstance.

“Unfortunately, the situation was further exacerbated by a shortage of taxis, resulting in extended waiting periods for our arriving passengers.

“Obviously, no delay to our passengers is ideal and every effort must be made to avoid them. Thus, to that end The Ministry of Transport will be reaching out to the various agencies and associations in question to discuss Saturday’s delays.”

Bermudian Emma Farge, who was waiting for her husband, Jean-Francois Huertas, to arrive from New York, said she felt embarrassed by the whole saga.

“It was shambolic and I was embarrassed on behalf of all Bermudians, especially since one of our selling points is how quickly you can get here from the east coast,” Ms Farge said. “I live in West Africa and the service in Bermuda seemed very third world to me.

“Visitors arriving for the July 4 holiday had to wait for up to two hours to clear the airport. Those without pre-booked transport then faced similar waiting period for taxis.

“Several flights arrived simultaneously from the States causing huge queues for customs and immigration.

“Angry passengers shouted at local luggage officials and demanded explanations. Some locals took pity on the visitors who were waiting for hours under the sun by offering rides in their cars.

“Taxi drivers at the scene said the problem was caused by taxis being up at Dockyard for the cruise ship.”

Mr Huertas added: “Many passengers waited an hour and a half for their luggage to be unloaded from the plane and it seemed there was just one ground handler working on four or five different planes.

“The queues in immigration went back into the arrivals hallway, but that was not as bad as the baggage reclaim area.

“Several people got very frustrated by the delay saying it was their worst experience and they could not believe having to wait so long.

“When the bags finally arrived several people applauded because they had been waiting so long.”