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BA warns of knock-on delays after yesterday’s IT problem
British Airways has apologised to passengers this morning after another IT problem yesterday evening disrupted its flights to and from Heathrow.
The airline’s problems were compounded by a fire alarm in the air traffic control tower, which halted all airlines’ flights in and out of the London hub for around 45 minutes yesterday afternoon.
BA said its IT supplier system problem was resolved overnight, but it has warned that some passengers might endure further disruption today as it tries to re-book them on alternative flights.
Several passengers took to Twitter to complain at the delays, with some reporting that they had been stuck on aircraft on the tarmac at Heathrow T5 for up to five hours.
An airline spokeswoman said: "We are doing everything we can to help customers whose travel plans were disrupted yesterday from a supplier system issue affecting a number of airlines, and the temporary closure of Heathrow Airport’s air traffic control tower.
"The supplier has resolved the issue, our flights are operating today, and we have apologised to our customers for the inconvenience."
The airline said the IT supplier system issue affected a number of airlines, not just BA.
In May 2017, BA suffered a catastrophic IT failure, which affected its flights worldwide, leaving 75,000 passengers stranded.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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