British Airways: 'major IT outage' grounds flights 'communications lost over Europe'

British Airways experienced a major IT outage, grounding numerous flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Pilots were unable to file flight plans electronically, forcing them to contact the operations center at Heathrow manually. Essential "load sheets" for aircraft safety were also impacted.

Passengers reported long queues at Heathrow Terminal 5 and delays in various European cities, including Naples and Düsseldorf. One traveler lamented the situation on social media, criticizing the airline: "What has happened to the nations airline? Not fit for purpose." The British Airways website indicated high traffic, further complicating the situation.