BA cancels all flights from London's Heathrow, Gatwick after IT failure
British Airways said Saturday that it had cancelled all its flights out of major London airports Heathrow and Gatwick after an IT systems failure.
The airline has warned people not to travel to the congested hubs.
"We have experienced a major IT system failure that is causing very severe disruption to our flight operations worldwide," BA said in a statement.
"The terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick have become extremely congested and we have cancelled all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick before 6.00 pm UK time today, so please do not come to the airports."
The airline 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.
Travellers 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.
Massive global IT failure at @British_Airways - I am waiting at @HeathrowAirport for further information... 😔 #britishairways pic.twitter.com/37Q6OlNKt5
— Sandra Kitlinska (@sandrakitlinska) May 27, 2017
This is the reverse angle of the queue to leave Heathrow. #britishairways pic.twitter.com/YZJPQglyR8
— Anne Henry (@anneshenry) May 27, 2017
Planes at standstill. #Terminal5 #BritishAirways #Heathrow pic.twitter.com/pQs46zGBYj
— Lucy Andrews (@Lucy__Andrews) May 27, 2017
Delays were also reported in Rome, Prague, Milan, Stockholm and Malaga, with the airline unable to say when flights would resume during the busy bank holiday weekend.
The departure board at Rome Fiumicino airport now showing the backlog of #britishairways delays to London pic.twitter.com/al791PYa1p
— Phillip Norton (@phillipnorton) May 27, 2017