British Airways (BA) faced a wave of flight delays on Monday evening after a “technical issue” disrupted its computer systems, leaving passengers stranded on tarmacs and struggling to check in at airports in the UK and abroad.
The problems began around 17:00 GMT and sparked widespread frustration, with many travellers taking to social media to report lengthy delays and limited communication from the airline.
Passengers described waiting in cold conditions on the tarmac in cities such as Verona, Hamburg, and Lyon, while others shared difficulties in checking in for flights or booking new tickets.
“We’ve apologised to customers for delays to their flights and ensured they were able to reach their destinations as planned,” BA said in a statement. The airline added that the technical issue, which impacted certain systems, had since been resolved.
Despite the assurances, the extent of the disruption remained unclear, with reports indicating that both domestic and international flights had been affected.
Downdetector, a website tracking outages for major companies, reported a spike in complaints about BA’s systems shortly after the issue began.
Global Impact, Limited Flight Cancellations
BA maintained that no flights had been cancelled, and delays appeared to range from one to two hours for affected flights. However, travel expert Simon Calder estimated that the problems could have impacted tens of thousands of passengers globally.
One passenger, stranded in Verona, wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “Being made to stand on the tarmac in a very cold Verona waiting for an already delayed flight.” Similar accounts surfaced from travellers in Naples, Dusseldorf, and other European cities.
Some passengers reported that pilots were unable to generate essential loading data for their aircraft, while communication challenges further compounded the delays.
According to social media comments, crew members struggled to connect with colleagues by phone to coordinate operations.
Heathrow Operations Unaffected
Heathrow Airport, one of BA’s main hubs, confirmed awareness of the airline’s technical difficulties but noted that its own systems were functioning normally.
While the disruption was reportedly under control by late evening, concerns lingered about potential knock-on effects on Tuesday’s flight schedule.
Repeated IT Failures
This is not the first time BA has faced significant disruptions due to IT failures. In May 2023, a similar technical glitch led to widespread flight cancellations.
High-profile incidents in 2017 and 2020 also caused chaos, with thousands of passengers affected during peak travel periods.
While BA has yet to provide a detailed explanation for the latest failure, frequent IT issues have raised questions about the resilience of the airline’s systems.
Travellers have increasingly voiced frustration over the airline’s preparedness for such events, particularly given its history of similar breakdowns.
As the situation normalizes, passengers and industry experts are calling for stronger safeguards to prevent future incidents.
The airline has pledged to learn from past mistakes, but Monday’s events suggest further improvements may still be necessary to maintain its reputation and customer trust.
Passengers are advised to check their flight statuses regularly and contact BA customer service for assistance with rescheduled flights.
