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Troops at Heathrow and Gatwick airports rehearsed passport check duties before Border Force staff went on strike for Christmas.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed to Sky News that members of the armed forces arrived at the two main airports in London earlier this week.
The PCS union announced on Wednesday that Border Patrol officers will strike at airports from 23-26 and 28-31 December after refusing a 2% salary increase offer from the government.
They will also strike at airports in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester, as well as the port of Newhaven.
About 75% of passport control staff are members of the PCS system, which means that the majority of staff who check passports will strike.
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The Cabinet official said this week that up to 600 military personnel and 700 civil servants have been trained to support a range of services – including border force at airports and ports – in the event of a strike.
The Interior Ministry has warned that the strikes are likely to lead to longer queues at passport control at one of the busiest times of the year for airports.
Airports advised travelers to check the status of their flights before travelling.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited an RAF base on Friday where he thanked the military for their intervention and missing Christmas.
0:32 The Prime Minister says some members of the armed forces will miss Christmas
“We all owe them an enormous debt of gratitude,” he said.
He added that his priority was to “protect lives and minimize disruption to people’s lives” but insisted the government would always try to “act fairly and reasonably” with public sector salaries.
“What I will not do is ask ordinary families across the country to pay an extra £1,000 a year to meet the wage demands of union bosses. That would not be right and it would not be fair,” he said.
The use of troops to cover striking workers proved controversial, with senior military figures saying they should not be forced to give up Christmas.
Members of the armed forces are prohibited by law from striking themselves, and most soldiers are already paid less than those who go on strike, while their payrolls have not kept up with inflation.
A senior defense source told The Telegraph that the government was now seeking to support the armed forces “every time there is any difficulty, be it floods or strikes… as opposed to being a last resort”.
Former army captain and Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defense committee, said it would place a “huge burden” on the army.
2:03 How will strikes affect businesses?
Earlier this week, the government confirmed that military personnel, civilian employees and volunteers are being trained to support a range of services as many industries will be hit in December.
On Sunday, Conservative Party chairman Nadim Zahawi told Sky News the government had not yet decided whether to deploy armed forces personnel but said it was considering having them work on the UK border.
Military personnel previously deployed to drive gasoline tankers and deliver COVID strikes during a pandemic.
Industries also went on strike over the Christmas period: railway workers, coachmen, road staff, baggage handlers, Royal Mail staff, nurses, driving examiners, civil servants, ambulance staff and teachers.
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