Flights delayed for hours in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane after failure of global passport security system forces passengers to be checked in manually

A failure of the global passport security system has caused huge delays for passengers trying to fly overseas from Australian and New Zealand airports.

International passengers at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane had to be checked in manually on Monday morning, causing flights to be delayed for hours.

Immigration New Zealand reported that the Advanced Passenger Processing System – a border-clearance process used globally – went down at 9.30am local time (7.30am AEST). More than three hours later the problem was resolved, with the system “back up and running” in New Zealand.

The Sydney Airport system came back on at 10.40am, a spokeswoman said.

Passengers with international bookings were advised to contact their airline to check the status of their service.

All international flights to and from Australia are subject to mandatory reporting provided by airlines through the APP system, according to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

“This facilitates a more streamlined border clearance process for travellers and enhances the Australian government’s ability to target security concerns,” the department’s website states.

Passenger Chris Walker-Bush tweeted his frustration earlier on Monday.