Airports around the world are in chaos this weekend, with planes grounded and passengers left facing delays and cancellations.
The disruption began in America, when an air traffic outage brought flights across the US to a standstill.
Two major airports were closed on Friday, with travellers in Canada also experiencing a knock-on effect.
Europe was next to suffer, with several airports, including London Heathrow, experiencing problems due to a ‘cyber attack’ on Collins Aerospace.
The third-party system, which provides check-in and boarding systems for various airlines, was hit early Saturday morning.
Hours later, passengers were instructed to leave Dublin Airport due to safety concerns, with huge crowds seen gathering outside Terminal 2.
If you’re planning on flying this weekend, here’s everything you need to know.
Cyber attack hits Heathrow, Berlin and Brussels airports
Flights have been delayed and cancelled at several European airports after a cyber attack crippled a service provider for check-in and boarding systems.
London Heathrow – the continent’s busiest airport – as well as major transit hubs including Brussels and Berlin have been affected since first thing on Saturday morning.
As of 1pm BST, 16 departures have been cancelled across Heathrow, Berlin and Brussels, according to aviation analytics hub Cirium.
Another 13 arrivals have also been cancelled, data shows.
Collins Aerospace, which provides systems for several airlines at airports globally, has confirmed it is experiencing a technical issue that will cause widespread disruption.
A spokesperson for RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent company, said it had become aware of a ‘cyber-related disruption’ to its software at selected airports, without naming them.
Passengers with flights scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.
In terms of the impact on travellers here in the UK, here’s a quick rundown of what we know so far:
- easyJet, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, said it was currently operating as normal and did not expect the issue to impact its flights for the rest of the day.
- Ryanair did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- British Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Dublin Airport evacuated
Meanwhile in Ireland, passengers and ground staff have been evacuated from Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2 as a ‘safety precaution’ following a ‘security concern’.
Photos show huge crowds of people – believed to number in the thousands – standing outside the terminal building.
Local reports said the Irish Defence Forces have been asked to send the bomb disposal squad to the airport in case they are needed.
The incident is ongoing, and Dublin Airport Authority said flight operations may be temporarily impacted.
Gardaí, the Irish police force, are currently at the scene.
Our reporter Sarah Hooper has more from witnesses on the ground.
Catastrophic failure delays thousands of US flights
A telecommunications failure saw air traffic controllers at two major US airports lose radar and some communications on Friday, resulting in thousands of planes grounded.
The outage at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field, both in Texas, had a knock-on effect across America, causing delays and cancellations in 20 other US airspaces – including those serving Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, New York, Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C.
A staggering 8,600 flights at the two airports in Dallas alone were delayed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Flights in Canada also faced disruption, with departures from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver delayed.
Live audio recordings from the air traffic control tower at Dallas Love Field painted a confusing picture, with one controller heard saying: ‘I’m not departing anybody until we can get a system set up. We have no comms with the approach right now.’
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a play to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airliner will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed.
If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. Though, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
