IT Crash Strands BA Passengers in British Airports

Serious problems with British Airways' IT systems disrupted the plans of thousands of passengers, as all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick were cancelled.

Passengers described "chaotic" scenes at the airports, with some criticizing BA for a lack of information, BBC News reported.

The airline has apologized and told passengers not to come to the airport.

BA chief executive, Alex Cruz, said, "We believe the root cause was a power supply issue."

In a video statement released via Twitter, he added: "I am really sorry we don't have better news as yet, but I can assure you our teams are working as hard as they can to resolve these issues."

Cruz said there was no evidence the computer problems were the result of a cyber attack.

The GMB union has suggested the failure could have been avoided, had the airline not outsourced its IT work.

BA denied the claim, saying: "We would never compromise the integrity and security of our IT systems."

All passengers affected by the failure, which coincides with the first weekend of the half-term holiday for many in the UK, will be offered the option of rescheduling or a refund.

BA said it was planning to have a "near normal schedule" out of Gatwick on Sunday.