Latest news with #technicalfault
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Manannan returns to Douglas from Liverpool due to generator fault
The Isle of Man's fast craft has had to return to the island with the morning's subsequent sailing cancelled due to a technical fault, the ferry operator has confirmed. The 07:15 Manannan sailing set off for Liverpool but a control fault to one of the generators meant that it was deemed "not safe" to enter the port, the Steam Packet said. As there was also a risk the vessel would not be allowed to depart Liverpool if it was not rectified, it returned to Douglas, the firm confirmed. As a result the 07:15 and 11:15 sailings between the island and Liverpool have been cancelled. The firm said that passengers were being transferred to Manxman sailings while repairs were being carried shuttles have been laid on between Heysham and Liverpool for foot Director Brian Thomson apologised for the cancellations and the disruption caused." We're working hard to get things back on track as soon as we can", he added. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Heathrow Airport hit with severe delays as 'technical fault' shuts tunnel to two terminals: Chaos for SECOND time in a week during peak summer season
British holidaymakers have been plunged into travel chaos for the second time in a week after Heathrow Airport was forced to shut one of its tunnels. This morning, passengers are facing huge delays after a 'technical fault' caused a road tunnel connecting to Terminals 2 and 3 to close. Roads leading up to the airport - one of the biggest in Europe - are gridlocked due to the closure, with some desperate flyers sprinting down the motorway with their luggage to catch their flights. Other travellers spoke of the 'utter chaos' and said they felt like they were in 'hell on earth' and claimed to be 'running out of air' after getting stuck in airport amid 'sweltering heat'. Heathrow said that the issue has now been resolved, although there is 'still congestion at the airport' and passengers are being told to 'allow extra time for their journeys'. 'Earlier this morning a technical issue caused the closure of the main road tunnel into Terminals 2 and 3. This issue is now resolved and the tunnel has reopened,' the statement read. 'There is some congestion at the airport, and passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journey. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.' It is the second incident to cause delays at the airport in just one week after an IT issue with a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) centre on Wednesday led to more than 100 cancellations of flight across the country. The chaos has caused panic for travellers on one of the busiest weeks of the summer holidays. Frustrated passengers have shared Images of traffic filling the motorway as well as pictures of huge queues inside the airport. One penned on X: 'People running with their luggage in the roads. Shameful.' Another added: 'People running dragging cases on the motorway now. Find a solution!' Others inside the airport said 'confused, stressed' passengers have been left with no idea 'what is happening' and complained that airport staff were not helping the situation. 'Hey @HeathrowAirport - do better!! Utter chaos today. No staff helping massive amounts of confused, stressed passengers,' one user wrote. A fourth person said: 'Been at Heathrow for an hour caught between the lifts and terminal tunnel and no one knows what is happening, this country is knackered.' National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing 'severe delays' on the road. They posted to X: The #M4 Heathrow Spur (at J4) into T2 and T3 is being CLOSED. For access to #HeathrowAirport please use the #M25 J14 and head towards T5. 'There are already severe delays on the spur road. Please allow extra time if heading to the airport this morning.' A statement released by the airport this morning on social media explained there was an issue causing a key route to Terminals 2 and 3 to be closed National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing 'severe delays' on the road The technical error comeas less than a week a technical glitch at a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) control centre in Swanwick, Southampton, caused scores of planes to be cancelled across the UK. By the time the system was 'fully operational' again, thousands of passengers were already facing delays of up to five hours, while more than 150 flights to and from the UK were cancelled. Furious passengers were forced to put their holidays on hold after months of planning, while others feared missing out on their loved ones' weddings as a result of the unknown issue. Some desperate Brits were also faced with the nightmarish dilemma of sleeping in airports or splashing out hundreds of pounds on overnight accommodation after being 'dumped' by their airlines at home and overseas. Martin Rolfe, the millionaire head of taxpayer-backed Nats, faced calls to step down following the chaos. He was 'summoned' onto an urgent call with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander where he confirmed the incident was an 'isolated event', adding 'there is no evidence of malign activity'. Revealing the cause of meltdown, an insider told The Times: 'This was a genuine software error and the back-up systems worked as they should. They run a different programme so there is no chance of the same issue happening twice.' Heathrow airport also recently pledged to cut waiting times at airport security. Heathrow promised that 95 per cent of passengers will pass through security in under five minutes by 2031. The airport is also planning to redesign its terminals to improve the passenger experience by creating 70,000 sqm more space for travellers, reports The Times. Terminals 3 and 5 are also set to get more shops and restaurants while the airport has pledged that 99 per cent of bags will arrive in time due to new technology. The airport said the technology would mean that 1.25 million fewer bags ended up lost. Heathrow's new plans will form part of a £10bn investment to upgrade the passenger experience at the major airport. While earlier this month, it unveiled its designs for a third runway.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
UK travel chaos as Heathrow airport hit with 'technical fault' causing 'severe' delays
Passengers at Heathrow Airport have been impacted by a 'technical fault' that's causing 'severe' delays. A statement released by the airport this morning on social media explained there was an issue causing a key route to Terminals 2 and 3 to be closed. It read: 'Due to a technical issue, the Central Terminal Area tunnel to Terminals 2 and 3 is currently closed. 'Please use public transport to Terminal 5, where train services are available to all other terminals. 'We're working hard to resolve the issue and apologise for the disruption.' Some travellers have shared photos online of the chaos unfolding, with one image showing passengers running up the road with their luggage to cut the building traffic. One penned on X: 'People running with their luggage in the roads. Shameful.' Another added: 'People running dragging cases on the motorway now. Find a solution!' A statement released by the airport this morning on social media explained there was an issue causing a key route to Terminals 2 and 3 to be closed MailOnline has approached Heathrow Airport for comment. National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing 'severe delays' on the road. They posted to X: The #M4 Heathrow Spur (at J4) into T2 and T3 is being CLOSED. 'For access to #HeathrowAirport please use the #M25 J14 and head towards T5. 'There are already severe delays on the spur road. Please allow extra time if heading to the airport this morning.' Images of traffic filling the motorway were shared alongside the post showing long queues. It comes after an area of Heathrow Terminal 3 was cleared on July 25 while a fire alarm was investigated, which passengers said had caused huge waits for passport control. The alert just after 11am led to the temporary evacuation being carried out by staff for safety reasons, which some travellers complained had led to two-hour queues. National Highways has also shared that the M4 Heathrow Spur entrance into the two terminals is closed and was causing 'severe delays' on the road Christina Warren, who had just arrived on a Virgin Atlantic flight, tweeted: 'Landed at Heathrow an hour early but there was a fire alarm so the line for passport control is literally backed up literally the entire terminal because of a fire alarm going off.' Natalie Berg, another passenger waiting at Heathrow after arriving from the US, added: 'Nearly two hours and line has barely moved at Heathrow. Just been told immigration and baggage reclaim has now reopened so hopefully on the move soon.' And a further traveller wrote: 'Fire crews investigating incident in baggage hall at Heathrow T3 mean security border is currently closed. Very long queue already.' A Heathrow spokeswoman previously told MailOnline: ' Following an earlier fire alarm evacuation in parts of Terminal 3, the incident has now been stood down. We apologise for any disruption caused to journeys.' Passengers were later allowed into the baggage reclaim hall to collect their bags and get on their way. The airport recently pledged to cut waiting times at airport security, too. Heathrow promised that 95 per cent of passengers will pass through security in under five minutes by 2031. The airport is also planning to redesign its terminals to improve the passenger experience by creating 70,000 sqm more space for travellers, reports The Times. The airport recently pledged to cut waiting times at airport security, too. Heathrow promised that 95 per cent of passengers will pass through security in under five minutes by 2031 Terminals 3 and 5 are also set to get more shops and restaurants while the airport has pledged that 99 per cent of bags will arrive in time due to new technology. The airport said the technology would mean that 1.25 million fewer bags ended up lost. Heathrow's new plans will While earlier this month, it unveiled its designs for a third runway.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Sandbanks chain ferry warning after staff 'threatened'
Staff on a chain ferry were subjected to threatening behaviour after it was suspended due to a technical fault, its operator has Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company said the Sandbanks - Swanage chain ferry was suspended for about an hour on Wednesday evening."Unfortunately, during the temporary suspension, members of our staff were subject to verbal abuse and threatening behaviour from several passengers," it said the incident was "extremely upsetting" for the staff involved and had been reported to police. The ferry, Bramble Bush Bay, crosses between Sandbanks and Shell Bay daily - twice an hour, each company said staff were being supported following Wednesday's incident."We hope by raising awareness of this issue such incidents will not happen in the future," it said. "Please be assured that, for the wellbeing of all, any future incidents of this nature will result in immediate preventative action, and offenders may be banned from using our service."It added that the technical fault had been resolved, and the ferry service was continuing to run as normal. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Yahoo
'No evidence' malign activity caused Wednesday's air traffic disruption, says transport secretary
There is no evidence that malign activity was responsible for yesterday's outage of air traffic control systems, the transport secretary has said. Heidi Alexander said she has spoken with the chief executive of National Air Traffic Service (NATS), Martin Rolfe, and added that what happened was an isolated incident. NATS has apologised for the IT problems after thousands of passengers suffered extensive travel disruption during one of the busiest times of the year. The technical glitch led to more than 150 flight cancellations, leaving airlines reacting furiously. Ms Alexander wrote on X: "I have spoken with NATS CEO Martin Rolfe who provided further detail on yesterday's technical fault. "This was an isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity. "I know that any disruption is frustrating for passengers. "Flights are now resumed and I am grateful to airlines who are working hard to get people to where they need to be. "I will continue to receive regular updates. Passengers should check with airlines before travelling." Read more: Officials said a "radar-related issue" caused the air traffic control failure. A spokesperson for NATS said: "This was a radar-related issue which was resolved by quickly switching to the back-up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety. "There is no evidence that this was cyber related." The problem occurred at NATS' control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, and affected the vast majority of England and Wales. Aviation analytics company Cirium said 84 departures and 71 arrivals were cancelled to or from UK airports up to 10pm on Wednesday, with several flights diverted to other European airports. There was limited disruption on Thursday, with a handful of British Airways flights cancelled because aircraft and crew were out of position. Heathrow and Gatwick airports said they had resumed normal operations. Affected passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation as the disruption was outside of airlines' control, but they will be able to claim expenses for a reasonable amount of food and drink, a means to communicate and overnight accommodation if required. Ryanair has called on Mr Rolfe to resign, claiming "no lessons have been learnt" since a similar systems outage in August 2023. The airline's chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: "It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats."
