IT outage: Disruption at Luton and Stansted Airport and train operators in East of England
Long queues at Luton Airport after IT outage (Credit: Amit Luthra/X)
Holidaymakers have experienced delays at airports, as a global IT outage affected operating systems in the East of England.
There are long queues at Luton Airport in Bedfordshire, as well as some online check-in issues at Stansted Airport leading to manual processes.
People are warned they may experience delays with NHS services in Suffolk and North Essex, while train operators said some stations had been hit by issues.
The Port of Felixstowe experienced issues, but operations were working back up to full capacity.
The major outage is believed to have been caused by a faulty update to widely used cybersecurity software, affecting airlines, train companies, banks and media outlets.
Long queues at Stansted Airport due to the global IT outage.
Airport queues
Long queues were reported on social media at Luton Airport in the check-in and security areas, as some airlines and operations switched to manual systems.
Some flights were delayed by 60 minutes, with some flights to and from the UK affected.
On X, formerly Twitter, the airport posted: “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."
Meanwhile in Essex, London Stansted Airport said that some airline check-in services are being done manually as a result of the IT outage, but “most flights are still operating as normal”.
A spokesperson said: "The global IT problems are affecting some of our airlines this morning. That means some processes like check-in and boarding are being carried out manually and are taking longer than usual for those airlines.
"The majority of flights operating from the airport are unaffected, but the terminal is slightly busier than usual as a result of the situation.
"Some of our retailers have also been affected meaning they have been unable to process card payments."
Ryanair, which is based at Stansted Airport, said: "We’re currently experiencing disruption across the network due to a Global 3rd party IT outage, which is entirely out of our control.
"Booking and check-in are currently unavailable. If you are due to travel today and have yet to check-in for your flight, you can do so at the airport."
NHS, train operators and businesses affected
The IT outage is “causing disruption in the majority of GP practices” in England, but there is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, NHS England said.
Some services in Suffolk and Essex were affected, as the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board said: "We are aware of the worldwide I.T. issue which is affecting some local NHS services. "In the meantime people should continue to keep appointments and make contact in the usual way, but may experience a delay."
Train operator Greater Anglia said "some" of its stations in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire were affected by the outage.
A spokesperson said: "We are aware of the mass IT outage. Some of our stations are affected by this & it is being investigated with high importance. "Station staff will be aware & able to assist."
Meanwhile, Thameslink, which has services in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, said: "We are currently experiencing widespread IT issues across our entire network. Our IT teams are actively investigating to determine the root cause of the problem."We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks."
The Port of Felixstowe said it had been affected and truck drivers said they could not get into the port, but the issue cleared.
A spokesperson said: “The Port of Felixstowe was affected by the global IT Crowdstrike issue at 05:40 on Friday 19 July but haulage operations have recommenced and we are working up to full capacity as soon as possible.”
Businesses in the East said they were experiencing issues with booking and payment systems, including Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.
A spokesperson for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo said: "Due to global IT issues our ticketing system and payment points on site are currently down."If you are visiting today, members, patrons, fellows and those who have pre-booked tickets will be granted entry - it's possible you may need cash for any purchases at the Zoo."
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