LONDON: British Airways canceled all its flights out of major London airports Heathrow and Gatwick on Saturday after an IT systems failure, leaving hundreds stranded on a busy holiday weekend.
“We have experienced a major IT system failure that is causing very severe disruption to our flight operations worldwide,” BA said in an early afternoon statement.
BA flights out of Heathrow and Gatwick were initially canceled until 6.00 p.m. UK time (1700 GMT) but the airline later said there would be no flights for the rest of the day.
It said it had found “no evidence that it’s a cyberattack,” with Britain still recovering from a ransomware attack that crippled key infrastructure earlier this month.
“We are working hard to get our customers who were due to fly today onto the next available flights over the course of the rest of the weekend,” BA said, adding that its call centers and website were also affected.
The outage comes on a busy holiday weekend in Britain, where Monday is a public holiday and many schoolchildren are beginning their half-term break.
BA warned people not to come to the “extremely congested” airports, but an AFP photographer at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 said many travelers were waiting outside the departure area with their luggage in “chaotic” scenes.
They were not being allowed inside the terminal for health and safety reasons, prompting some of them to take taxis away from the transport hub.
Travelers wrote on Twitter that they were unable to check in or use the airline’s app, while others said they had been left stranded on the tarmac.
“None of your staff know what the heck is going on. Nor do your passengers. Can we have some info please? Chaos here,” tweeted Chris Ship, Royal Editor for ITV News, to BA.
One passenger, Julie Adie, wrote that she had been stuck on the runway for an hour without an offer of drinks.
Another Twitter user called Jo called it a “terrorist’s dream,” writing that “people getting off plane with/without luggage. Some staying on.”
BA said that those unable to fly would be offered a full refund, warning that some delays and disruption could continue into Sunday.
“Most long-haul flights due to land in London tomorrow are expected to arrive as normal, and we are working to restore our services from tomorrow,” the company said.
Delays were reported in other European cities including Rome, Prague, Milan, Stockholm and Malaga.
Inside Heathrow’s Terminal 5, Luke Hallard wrote that “everyone remarkably calm despite British Airways chaos, but wait until the lounge runs out of booze.”
Alma Saffari told the BBC that her flight from Marseille to London had been grounded.
“When we finally boarded the captain came out and told us their computer systems were down worldwide,” she said.
“Eventually after sitting on the tarmac for one and a half hours we disembarked the plane.
“Now we are sitting in the departure area outside the gate.”
The company said it was “extremely sorry for the inconvenience this is causing our customers during this busy holiday period.”
The airline has suffered other IT glitches recently, leading to severe delays for passengers in July and September last year.
BA cancels all flights from major London airports after IT failure
BA cancels all flights from major London airports after IT failure
UK Police arrest 86 people at prison protest for Palestine Action hunger striker
- Demonstration outside Wormwood Scrubs held in support of Umer Khalid
- Khalid 1 of 5 people charged in connection with break-in at RAF base last year
LONDON: A protest outside a prison in the UK in support of a man detained for supporting the banned group Palestine Action has led to the arrest of 86 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police said a group of demonstrators breached the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in the capital, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and threatened officers. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The group, several of whom attempted to gain access to the prison itself, were protesting in support of Umer Khalid, who is currently on hunger strike at the facility.
Khalid is one of five people charged in relation to a break-in by Palestine Action members at an RAF base at Brize Norton last year, in which two military aircraft were damaged.
Khalid, who denies the charges, is one of several people who are on or who have taken part in hunger strikes in recent months, all of whom have been held on similar charges for over a year without their cases being brought to trial.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Ministry of Justice said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.
“At no point was prison security compromised. However, where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with longstanding policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
