On the evening of November 18, 2024, British Airways and its sister airline Iberia encountered significant IT problems that led to widespread disruptions across their European flight networks. The technical glitch, which began impacting operations around 6 PM GMT, affected various aspects of airline management systems, including check-in processes, flight planning, and communications. British Airways, a cornerstone of European aviation, initially reported issues with its booking and boarding systems. Passengers at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports faced long queues and delays, with some flights being delayed or canceled. The problem extended to the carrier's ability to provide real-time updates, leaving passengers in limbo. British Airways issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience and confirmed that their IT teams were working to resolve the issue promptly.
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Iberia, operating out of Madrid-Barajas Airport, also confirmed that their systems were experiencing similar problems, leading to delays and cancellations of domestic and international flights. The airline assured that they were in close coordination with their IT support to address the disruptions, which notably affected their operations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The root cause of the IT failures has not been disclosed, but preliminary reports suggest it might involve a network or server issue rather than an external cyber-attack. Both airlines have a history of IT troubles; British Airways notably suffered a massive data breach in 2018 due to a cyber incident, and both airlines have faced intermittent system outages in the past years.
Passengers were advised via airport information boards and the airlines' websites to check their flight status before heading to the airport, and where possible, to consider rescheduling or seeking alternative travel arrangements. British Airways and Iberia promised to offer rebooking options or refunds as per their respective policies.
The disruption not only affected passenger travel plans but also highlighted the dependency of modern aviation on robust IT infrastructure. It raised concerns about the resilience of airline systems against technical failures, especially given the increasing complexity of airline operations and the interconnectedness of global air travel. The incident serves as a reminder of the critical need for airlines to invest in cybersecurity and system redundancies to mitigate future disruptions.