Airlines, airports, flight booking systems and nationwide rail services have been hit by a mass IT failure that has sparked a global meltdown.
By 10.30am today, more than 1,000 flights had been grounded worldwide, according to aviation data analysts Cirium.
Some airlines, including US carriers American Airlines and United, have been forced to temporarily ground their entire fleets. The outage has also hit flights from many European airports.
Italian airline ITA Airways has cancelled 60 flights today: 34 at Rome Fiumicino Airport and 26 at Milan Linate Airport. Over 90% of the affected passengers have been rebooked on flights scheduled for today and tomorrow, it said.
While most UK airlines and airports remain operational, some booking, check in, baggage and security systems have been affected on what is expected to be the busiest day of the year so far. The issue appears to have been caused by an update to malware detection system Crowdstrike, causing Microsoft Windows to crash.
TUI issued a statement saying that ‘due to a global IT glitch affecting Windows computers and servers, TUI’s overall level of service is impacted’, adding: “This outage also applies to partner systems like the automated check-in process at airports or cruise ports.
“TUI and its partners are aware of the situation and are working hard to resolve the issues. In the meantime, most of our processes can be covered manually.
“If you are due to travel with TUI today, we ask for your patience and understanding. Please plan ahead, expect longer waiting times and regularly check the TUI App.
“Please also inform yourself about the current situation at your specific airport as the local situation might differ.”
EasyJet is advising passengers flying from Spain today to arrive at the airport three hours before their flights. A spokesperson said: “EasyJet’s IT systems have not been directly affected by the Microsoft systems issues this morning however we are aware that some airports’ systems have been impacted across Europe. This has led to some disruption to flights this morning and we expect some further potential impact to flights today. Customers should expect longer than usual airport queues and we are advising customers travelling from Spanish airports to arrive three hours before their flight.
“We advise customers due to travel with us today to continue to check the latest updates on their flight on easyJet’s Flight Tracker before making their way to the airport. Although outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
Ryanair issued an alert early this morning, warning of potential disruption and advising passengers to arrive for their flight three hours before departure.
Jet2 said it is experiencing check-in and boarding systems issues at some airports, although its own computer systems are not directly affected. It added: “We are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates accordingly.
“Please continue to check the Jet2.com website for information regarding your flight.”
A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: “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 should still arrive for their normal check-in time, which is typically two hours ahead of the flight time for short-haul, and three hours for long-haul. We apologise for any inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: “Microsoft is currently experiencing a global outage which is impacting select systems at Heathrow. Flights are operational and we are implementing contingency plans to minimise any impact on journeys. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest flight information.”
A Manchester Airport spokesman told Travel Gossip that ground handling agent Swissport has been affected, rather than the airport as a whole. “It means for certain flights served by Swissport [are] having to be manually checked in which takes a little longer,” he said.
“TUI and Ryanair both use Swissport – but most flights are unaffected. Some retailers are also unable to take card payments.”
He added: “Check in areas are busier than usual and it may take slightly longer but we don’t want people to arrive at their airport earlier than advised by their airlines.”
Leeds Bradford Airport said it is operating normally but airlines are experiencing disruption. LBA told passengers to check with their airline or tour operator and to ‘bring cash in case of any issues with their bank or payment providers throughout their journey’.
An Edinburgh Airport spokesman confirmed it had been impacted by the outage and said passengers should check its X (Twitter) channel for the latest updates.
The airport’s X update at around 09:20 said: “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.”
A spokesperson at Stansted Airport said: “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.”
London Luton Airport said: “We are aware of an ongoing global IT issue that is impacting check-in and boarding procedures for some airlines. We have additional staff on hand to support and operations are continuing with manual systems. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for flight updates.”
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “The majority of flights are operating as normal. However, some check ins are experiencing delays which are being processed by colleagues. For those that have checked in online previously are unaffected.
“This is clearly a rapidly evolving situation. Customers should follow the advice from airlines and we will continue to update passengers throughout the day.”
Virgin Atlantic said its flights are operating as normal and passengers should go to the airport as planned. A spokesperson added: “We are aware of a global technical issue with Microsoft which is affecting various industries, including airlines.
“This is currently not impacting our flying programme, however flights may be subject to some delays. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with our airport teams and partners to minimise any disruption. We’d like to apologise to any customers who may be affected and encourage anyone due to travel today to check their flight status in advance at virginatlantic.com.”
GDS booking systems are also believed to have been hit. Amadeus said it has ‘detected issues’ with some if its services, adding: “We are working to do what we can as the highest priority.”
Nationwide rail services have also been affected, including the Gatwick Express service to and from London Victoria station, with the train operator warning of potential last-minute cancellations.
Travel Gossip is waiting for an update from British Airways.
Which? Travel Editor Rory Boland advised passengers to avoid checking in bags, where possible, adding: “Queues for check-in at the airport will be long and IT failures typically lead to lots of lost bags. If you do check-in bags, make sure you keep medication, keys and any other essentials in your hand luggage.”
