London — A contractor doing maintenance work at a British Airways (BA) data centre inadvertently switched off the power supply, knocking out the airline’s computer systems and leaving 75,000 people stranded last weekend, the Times newspaper reported on Friday. Quoting a BA source, the newspaper said the power supply unit that sparked the IT failure was working perfectly but was accidentally shut down by a worker. An investigation of the power outage was likely to focus on human error rather than any equipment failure, it said. BA had to cancel all flights from London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports last Saturday. It blamed a power surge that knocked out its computer system, disrupting flight operations, call centres and its website. BA, part of airline group IAG, is seeking to limit the damage to its reputation and has apologised to customers after hundreds of flights were cancelled over a long holiday weekend. BA had already spoken of an "exceptional power surge" in a statement on ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.