Long queues and flight delays at Stansted airport after ‘IT issue'
Passengers flying out of London Stansted airport on Sunday morning experienced large queues, delays and some missed flights after an IT problem affected check-in, baggage and security systems.
Images posted on social media showed long queues and although the issue was said to have been resolved, passengers were advised to stay in touch with their airlines as some flights faced possible delays.
In a statement published on X, the airport said: 'Our teams are working hard to fully restore operations following the IT issue that impacted our systems earlier this morning.
'While the issue has been resolved, some flights may still be subject to delays. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and advise passengers to check the status of their flights with their airlines before travelling to the airport.
'We hope to have all systems fully resolved soon and will provide another update shortly.'
A spokesperson for Stansted told PA Media: 'All systems have now been fully restored and no flights have been cancelled as a result of the IT issue. We are investigating the cause of the earlier issue so nothing confirmed at this stage but, for background, it looks like it was related to internet access for some systems.'
One passenger, who did not wish to be named, told BBC News she had been stuck in queues at the terminal for hours and had missed her flight to Greece. She said she arrived at the Essex airport at 4.45am and passengers were queueing 'out the door'.
'I spoke to one woman who had already been standing for an hour and we were getting nowhere near the entrance,' she said. 'The queue for security was out the door and around the corner.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Sydney's second airport is nearly built. But will the airlines and people come?
It has been talked about for decades, and a year and a half out from its opening, Western Sydney International is looking more and more like an airport. This week, press gathered to mark the completion of its runway. Built 1 metre deep with a range of materials including a base layer of crushed sandstone salvaged from road tunnelling projects in Sydney; a section of 140,000 tonnes of asphalt above it; and 73,000 cubic metres of concrete paving, the 3.7km runway is strong enough to accommodate A380 and Boeing 747-8 jumbos. Meanwhile, its freshly built terminal looks futuristic, a building with rows of aerobridges that extend on to the tarmac, ready for the planes that will one day fly millions of passengers. Driving up to the building, there are already signs to the arrivals and departures area. However, there's plenty still to be done. While ride-share pickup points have been established, getting an Uber to the terminal is impossible, in large part because roads haven't been named yet. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The existing roads to the airport via the town of Luddenham feel semi-rural, passing homesteads, paddocks and plenty of cows, before the environment quickly shifts to hi-vis and fresh asphalt of roads not yet recognised on Google Maps. But for now, it's just construction workers who have learned the daily commute travelling to the airport. Perfecting the experience of driving to the airport 44km west of Sydney's eastern CBD will be crucial – the airport is scheduled to open in December 2026, before the dedicated Metro rail link, which has been delayed, potentially until up to a year later. It's one of many of the logistical hurdles the government-owned airport faces on its home stretch, before bringing 24-hour commercial aviation to Sydney and shaking up a core dynamic that has hamstrung Australian aviation. Standing on the freshly-laid runway, the airport CEO Simon Hickey this week said most of the construction of the airport itself had now been completed. Western Sydney International was on budget and on track to open by the end of 2026, he said. Most of the task ahead lies in bolstering roads on the so-called 'land side' – as opposed to the airfield – but most of the works will be filling out the rest of the airport precinct, which includes a business park, cargo area and the broader Bradfield city being planned by government authorities. One thing that does not need to be built is an air traffic control tower. The airport will be Australia's first operated as a 'digital aerodrome' – thanks to more than 20 high resolution cameras broadcasting the airport and immediate airspace in real time to a centralised control room off-site – as part of plans by Airservices Australia, the government body responsible for managing airspace. Some things, however, cannot be done remotely. Airservices – which is also tasked with providing specialist aviation firefighting services to all major airports – will soon build its fire station there. While major construction works are nearing completion, Hickey said efforts were shifting to a testing regime, which will include welcoming progressively larger aircraft, as well as drills mimicking everyday airport scenarios. These drills will canvass mundane occurrences, such as staff responding to deliberately staged incidents such as dropped suitcases or injuries, with hired-staff posing as travellers. The drills will also include crisis simulations, to stress test how the airport's infrastructure and staff respond to incidents such as security threats or cyber-attacks. The other crucial element will be securing airlines to fly to the airport. So far, Qantas, its budget carrier Jetstar, and Singapore Airlines have signed up. Hickey said the airline had been in discussion with more than 30 airlines. While more airlines are expected to announce services to WSI soon, Hickey this week was coy as to whether a lack of rail connection at the initial opening, and distance from central Sydney, was proving a sticking point in attempts to woo more global carriers. 'We've got great connectivity from day one,' Hickey said, talking up the M12 motorway which allows travel to Sydney's eastern CBD 'without going through one set of traffic lights'. '[There are] 2.5 million people in Western Sydney. It's one of the most vibrant communities in Australia. It's one of the fastest growing communities in Australia … So actually, airlines recognise that this is a great place to be with a great catchment,' Hickey said. In the early months of operating, operations are expected to be small, before gradually ramping up. Before the rail connection opens, many in the industry expect the airport to be mostly popular with western Sydney locals, especially those looking to avoid long trips and toll spends getting to the existing Kingsford Smith airport in Mascot. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The concept of a second major airport serving a large Australian city is relatively foreign, apart from south-east Queensland's array of airports serving Brisbane, the Gold Coast and north-east New South Wales. The closest model is Victoria's Avalon, for which tickets are sold as a Melbourne destination but which is in reality much closer to the city of Geelong. While Avalon is Melbourne's second busiest passenger airport, it resembles more of a regional operation, with roughly a dozen Jetstar services, mostly to Sydney, each day. On a recent trip to the airport, Guardian Australia observed multiple passengers puzzled by its small size, wondering whether they had in fact landed in Melbourne. Another in the arrivals hall frantically asked a Jetstar employee why they couldn't find their family – who had, it transpired, instead turned up to the larger Tullamarine airport about 50km away. 'It happens all the time,' the Jetstar worker later told Guardian Australia. Avalon's relative failure to grow into a major second airport has much to do with its origins, initially as a military airfield, then training base, and logistics hub run by Linfox. It began hosting passenger services with Jetstar in 2004, but repeated attempts to lure international airlines have not lasted. Conversely, western Sydney airport is being master planned as a primarily passenger airport with an accompanying CBD to serve an area already looking for alternatives to the long commute to the eastern part of the city. Additionally, the 24-hour operations at WSI are set to trigger a dramatic shake-up of Australian aviation. Currently, Sydney's existing Kingsford Smith airport is hamstrung by strict movement limits of 80 take offs and landings – known as slots – in any one hour, plus an 11pm-6am curfew, to curb noise pollution for residents. The scarcity of slots in Sydney, particularly in peak travel times, has been highlighted as a key barrier to new entrant airlines establishing a foothold to compete with Qantas group and Virgin. While its flight paths will be slightly tweaked at night, WSI will operate at all hours, with careful planning to ensure comparatively less noise for residents compared with the city's eastern airport. Many in the industry are hopeful that beyond allowing for cheaper and more convenient flights for those willing to travel during the night, less constrained slots could allow new airlines to form a base in Sydney and meaningfully compete with established carriers. 'Late-night departure capacity, for instance, could allow Singapore Airlines business travellers to finish a full day's work in Sydney, take an overnight flight and arrive in Singapore before their first morning meeting the very next day,' Hickey has said. Competition among airports over the prices they charge for access and retail rents could also drive prices lower for business which could flow on to customers, a dynamic seen in European countries where competition from secondary airports allow for more carriers and cheaper average air fares. WSI will initially operate with just one runway, capable of handling up to 10 million passengers a year, but with growth plans to allow for a second runway to be built. Tens of thousands of jobs will be directly or indirectly supported by the airport and precinct. There are plans for WSI to eventually become Sydney's biggest international airport, to handle more than 80 million annual passengers, similar to the load handled by London's Heathrow. However, in the short term, Sydney's Kingsford Smith is expected to remain dominant, with demand at Western Sydney to take time to form. This has been seen in Qantas's planning, with the airline confirming to Australian Aviation that when the airport opens it will operate services with QantasLink, its regional brand which has smaller aircraft. For now, Catherine King, the transport minister, is optimistic the airport will grow, not cannibalise, Sydney's air travel market, and help make western Sydney a destination instead of an appendage. 'Each [airport] will operate in their own markets. I'm sure they'll work competitively with and against each other as well,' King said.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Thousands gather to watch RAF Cosford Air Show
Thousands of military aviation enthusiasts have gathered in Cosford for the RAF Air well as the Red Arrows and iconic Spitfires, display teams from Ireland, Poland, and the Netherlands took to the skies above the Shropshire base on Ldr Dave Kerrison, one of the organisers, said there was lots to event was first held in 1978, and has run most years since then. Sqn Ldr Kerrison said: "Everybody wants to see the Red Arrows [but] we've got quite a lot of flights that are coming in today, so it's going to be a fun-packed day."He said that as well as air displays, the Air Force would showcase everything it did, and not just touch upon its part in conflicts but highlight its role in humanitarian this year include the Great War Display Team performing a dogfight routine in replica British, French and German World War One aircraft. There are also displays by the Royal Navy Black Cats, and Chinook and Apache will also be a display from aerobatics pilot Mélanie Astles, the first woman to take part in the Red Bull Air chairman of the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight André Steur said it was an honour to attend the event."The ties [between ourselves and the RAF] are very close and have been for years so when we were asked to come here, we were very glad to honour it," he Midlands Railway advised that due to a late notice shortage of crew, there would be limited train services returning from the said queueing systems would be in place at Cosford and Wolverhampton during busier periods to manage the flow of people. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
English tidal lido right on the beach that you can only visit twice a day
ONE of the prettiest pools in the UK is near a popular seaside town - but you will have to time it well to jump in. Found in the historic fishing village in West Cornwall, Mousehole Rock Pool in Cornwall is open for 24 hours a day, but when you can swim in it depends on whether the tide is in or out. 4 4 Mousehole Rock Pool is a tidal swim spot that you can only visit twice a day - because it's best to go in high tide. During high tide, the pool is exposed to the sea for a few hours on either side, making it accessible for swimming. The pool can drain with the falling tide and will become shallower. The tide varies throughout the year, but in summer, Mousehole usually has two high tides a day - in mid-morning and the evening. The best time to visit the tidal pool is just after high tide and you can check these with the 7-day tide forecast before going. Mousehole Rock Pool was built in 1969 for the local children to teach them how to swim, and has remained popular ever since. Mount's Bay towards St Michael's Mount and the Lizard. There's also the Rock Pool Cafe Mousehole which has reopened after winter break. It's situated above the Mousehole Rock Pool cafe so you can take in the views over the bay. The pool recently went under repairs to plug a leak as it wasn't holding water during low tide. The secret UK beach without the crowds – it has a free sauna and the largest tidal pool in the country 4 The repairs were spearheaded by the Friends of Mousehole Rock Pool. Volunteers with the support of local businesses have already emptied the community pool The first phase of the repair work had been due to start in March 2021 but was delayed. It took place on July 10, 2022 with a second repair day was also held later that year to repair the rock pool and again in 2023. More work is needed to maintain the pool as the plans going forward are to restore the access area for pushchairs and wheelchairs. The village of Mousehole, just less than three miles south of Penzance and is especially popular during the summer. However during the winter, Mousehole is considered one of the most magical place to visit because of its Christmas light display. Its annual Christmas lights adorn the harbour, usually from mid December. But there's not just a couple of lights - there's an estimated 7,000 bulbs that light up every evening and around 30,000 tourists head down to the coast to see them each year. And more UK lidos, sea pools and splash pads that are free to get into – perfect for the hot weather. Plus, the 'national treasure' beach lido in the UK's trendiest seaside town – that you can't swim in.
