Chaos at Heathrow airport as BA scrambles to recover from IT crash

Published May 29, 2017
LONDON: Arrivals notice boards display cancelled flights at Heathrow on Sunday. —Agencies
LONDON: Arrivals notice boards display cancelled flights at Heathrow on Sunday. —Agencies

LONDON: Thousands of travellers faced further chaos on Sunday as British Airways cancelled around 60 flights from London’s Heathrow Airport following an IT system failure.

Around one quarter of Sunday’s flights set to depart from London’s major hub before 4pm (1500 GMT) were cancelled as the airline battled to contain the “knock-on disruption” to schedules, with aircraft and crews out of position around the world.

British Airways said it was hoping to operate a near-normal schedule of flights from Gatwick, London’s other major airport, and the majority of its Heathrow services.

More flights left Heathrow as the day wore on, but most were operating with delays. Travellers also faced hold-ups at Gatwick, but no flights were cancelled.

BA cancelled all its flights out of the two airports on Saturday after the IT failure, which shut down all of the carrier’s check-in and operational systems and affected call centres and its website.

People sleep beside their luggage at the airport. —Agencies
People sleep beside their luggage at the airport. —Agencies

However, it did not appear to be a cyberattack, according to chairman and chief executive Alex Cruz, who said the root cause appeared to be a “power supply issue”.

Britain is still recovering from a ransomware attack that crippled crucial infrastructure earlier this month, including computer systems at the National Health Service.

‘Horrible time’

BA’s outage came on a busy weekend in Britain, where Monday is a public holiday and many schoolchildren are beginning a week’s holiday.

“This has been a horrible time for customers, some of you have missed holidays, some of you have been stranded on aircraft and some of you have been separated from your bags. Many of you have been stuck in long queues while you waited for information,” Cruz said in a video statement on Sunday.

The airline advised passengers not to come to the two airports unless they had confirmed bookings, with disruption expected throughout the holiday weekend.

British Airways planes grounded at Heathrow airport at the start of a four-day strike by cabin crew on March 27, 2010.—Agencies
British Airways planes grounded at Heathrow airport at the start of a four-day strike by cabin crew on March 27, 2010.—Agencies

Cruz warned that Heathrow terminals were still “very congested” and told passengers not to arrive too early, as they may only be admitted 90 minutes before their departure.

The carrier said those unable to fly would be offered a full refund.

An AFP photographer at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on Saturday said many travellers were waiting outside the departure area with their luggage in “chaotic” scenes.

The carrier said it was “extremely sorry” for causing inconvenience over the holiday period.

British Airways has suffered other IT glitches recently, leading to severe delays for passengers in July and September last year.

IAG, the parent group of British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia, earlier this month reported a 74-per cent slump in first-quarter net profit to 27 million euros ($30 million), due in large part to a weak pound.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2017

Opinion

Editorial

Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...
Counterterrorism plan
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

Lacunae in our counterterrorism efforts need to be plugged quickly.
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
Updated 23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

To drag a critical ally like Saudi Arabia into unfounded conspiracies is detrimental to Pakistan’s foreign policy.