Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(LONDON) — British Airways canceled all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London on Saturday due to a worldwide computer outage that struck at the start of a busy holiday weekend.
British Airways said a “major IT system failure” forced the cancellation of all scheduled flights from the two airports for the rest of the day. The airline urged passengers booked on those flights not to go those airports.
The global outage has also affected the airline’s call centers.
“We are working hard to get our customers who were due to fly today onto the next available flights over the course of the rest of the weekend. Those unable to fly will be offered a full refund,” British Airways said in a statement Saturday.
British Airways said it is working to restore services, but noted that some delays and disruptions may continue into Sunday. Most “long-haul flights” set to land in London on Sunday are expected to arrive as scheduled, the airline said.
The outage comes amid a busy weekend for travel, with Monday being a holiday in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
“We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience this is causing our customers during this busy holiday period,” British Airways said in its statement.
Heathrow Airport also confirmed the issue in a statement posted on Twitter.
“We are working closely with the airline to assist passengers who have been affected by the British Airways’ issue and have extra customer service colleagues in terminals to assist those passengers already at Heathrow,” the airport said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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