A widespread IT update has caused significant disruptions across the UK, affecting airlines, the London Stock Exchange, railway stations, banks, and even Sky News.
Airports across the UK, including Edinburgh, Stansted, Gatwick, Manchester, and Luton, have been impacted. Several railway stations operated by Govia Thameslink Railway, such as Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express, and Great Northern, were also affected.
A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport commented: “Early this morning we began experiencing issues with some of our IT systems. This is a global Microsoft issue affecting some airlines’ check-in systems, baggage, and security, including eGates. We are using our backup process, but some passengers may experience delays while checking in and passing through security.”
Passengers are advised to arrive for their normal check-in times: two hours ahead for short-haul flights and three hours for long-haul flights. “We apologise for any inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.
Ryanair issued a statement: “We’re currently experiencing disruption across the network due to a Global 3rd party IT outage which is out of our control. We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time. If you’re due to travel today and have not already checked in for your flight, you can do so at the airport. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this Global 3rd party IT outage.”
Edinburgh Airport also reported issues, with representatives posting online that “wait times are longer” and staff are working to resolve the problem. “An IT system outage means wait times are longer than usual at the airport. This outage is affecting many other businesses, including airports. Work is ongoing to resolve this and our teams are on hand to assist where we can. Passengers are thanked for their patience.”
Passengers are advised to check their flight status before traveling to avoid unnecessary delays. “Passengers should not travel to the airport without first checking the status of their flight with their airline. The wait at security is currently around one hour due to the outage and our teams are managing this as best they can,” the airport stated.
London Stansted Airport reported that some airline check-in services are being handled manually, but flights are still operating normally. A spokesperson said: “Some retail payment machine services have been impacted, and some airline check-in services reverted to being done manually, but our main operational systems are unaffected and flights are still operating as normal.”
Travellers have taken to social media to share their experiences. One traveller at Gatwick Airport posted: “Here at Gatwick, barcodes are not working so security checks on boarding passes are being done manually, but security searches are operating normally. I didn’t have baggage to check in, so no delays for me there. But I had to use cash to buy coffees at Starbucks in the airport departures lounge. I am on an internal flight to Newquay and am on the plane now. It is all on time so far – due to take off at 9.20am. But we are being warned that it might take time to take off because of backlogs with air traffic control.”
Liverpool Airport reported similar issues. A spokesman said: “We are seeing an impact, it is affecting some airlines, but not all, at check-in. What they are doing is reverting to manual systems, manual check-ins rather than computerised. So people are still checking in, it is just a bit slower, planes have still been getting away. For passengers, our advice is still to come to the airport, but check with your airline first and we ask for a bit of patience as well as the problem is resolved.” A single Dublin to Liverpool flight had been delayed due to an issue in the Republic, the spokesman added.
Manchester Airport also experienced disruptions. A spokesman stated: “The international IT outage has affected ground handling services for some airlines – specifically those that use Swissport. Some processes like check-in and boarding are taking longer than usual for affected airlines and some areas of the airport are busy as a result. The majority of flights operating from the airport are unaffected. As always, passengers are advised to check the status of their flights before they leave for the airport, as well as checking up-to-date travel advice as some train services have also been affected by the issues. Passengers should follow their airlines’ advice as to when to arrive at the airport. Some of our retailers have also been affected meaning they have been unable to process card payments.”
The IT outage has caused widespread inconvenience, but efforts are underway to resolve the issues and restore normal operations as quickly as possible.
