On Sunday, flights to and from Edinburgh Airport faced extensive disruptions due to a significant IT issue that led to their grounding for several hours. The situation escalated around 16:00 GMT when an airport representative reported that engineers were actively working to resolve a problem impacting air traffic control operations. As a result, both incoming and outgoing flights suffered notable delays, and a number were eventually canceled due to the ongoing challenges.
In the late afternoon, amid the frustrations of stranded passengers, Edinburgh Airport provided an update indicating that the problem had been rectified. Normal flight operations resumed around 19:00 GMT, yet travelers were still urged to verify their flight status with their respective airlines before making their way to the airport. This advice was especially pertinent given the significant number of flight cancellations and diversions experienced earlier in the day.
While the airport’s engineering team addressed the IT complications, several flights were either canceled or rerouted to alternative airports, including Glasgow Airport. This included various flights, such as Loganair flight LM316 from Exeter, EasyJet flights EZY601 from Luton and EZY3264 from Munich, and multiple Ryanair flights, including FR6643 from Bratislava and RK860 from Agadir. Notably, a Turkish Airlines flight scheduled to depart from Istanbul at 15:30 and a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria at 16:05 were both diverted to Manchester Airport.
As the airport communicated updates regarding the resumption of flights later in the evening, they took a moment to thank passengers for their patience and understanding during the disruption caused by the IT failure. Social media platforms, particularly X, were used by Edinburgh Airport to keep the public informed about the situation as it unfolded.
Among those impacted was Andrea Racekova, a 26-year-old apprentice journalist for BBC News. Racekova had made the journey from Shetland to Edinburgh to be timely for her flight back to Slovakia, where she was scheduled to receive an important blood test that she had been awaiting for months. The cancellation of her flight after she arrived at the airport heightened the stress of an already critical situation.
As Racekova reported from the terminal, she became aware of the ongoing issue through the Ryanair staff at the boarding gate when passengers were called to queue for what they had initially thought would be a routine boarding process. In a sudden turn of events, they were subsequently instructed to sit down due to a delay of at least 30 minutes for the flight.
Expressing the atmosphere within the terminal, Racekova observed: “People around me are very frustrated, some of them have connecting flights to catch, so the general mood here is very tense.” She highlighted how the airport staff were trying their best to mitigate the stress levels among passengers, emphasizing that they had been helpful amidst the chaos, albeit aware of the dissatisfaction among several travelers.
In summary, the technical difficulties faced by Edinburgh Airport created a ripple effect of cancellations and delays, illustrating the significant disruption an IT issue can cause within air travel. As operations began to stabilize by the evening, the emphasis remained on ensuring passengers were well-informed and could safely reach their destinations, amid heightened emotions and the anticipation of flight resumption.
