Heathrow Airport Grinds To A Halt As Thousands Of Passengers Crowd Terminals

Crowds of passengers packed Heathrow Airport terminals on Wednesday after a technical failure disrupted operations at major UK airports.

The footage, filmed by X user Ravinder Singh, shows dense crowds of passengers with bags filling an indoor terminal area. Yellow signs, departure screens, an escalator and an assistance stand are visible as people wait among the congestion.

The footage also shows a crowded baggage reclaim hall, where passengers stand and move around circular baggage belts while waiting for their luggage.

The disruption followed a technical failure on Tuesday, September 8, at around 13:00 BST in the flight-processing and flight-data system at the Swanwick centre. Departures from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham and other major airports were heavily restricted or paused for several hours.

The issue was resolved later that afternoon or evening, but the backlog and displaced aircraft and crews caused further cancellations into Wednesday.

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled during Tuesday’s disruption, according to flight-tracking data. Figures put the total between 1,300 and 1,750 cancellations across the UK, with hundreds more on Wednesday.

Heathrow and Gatwick were among the worst-affected airports. British Airways and Ryanair cancelled large numbers of services, while passengers were advised to check with their carrier before travelling.