Significant delays and cancelations met passengers flying into London on British Airways today as the airline recovered from technical issues. The technical outage was the second one for the British flag carrier in less than a month.British Airways saw over 40 flights into London Heathrow (LHR) canceled today as the airline struggled with a temporary technical issue. Departures from the airport were also dramatically reduced as customers were faced with flights being delayed and canceled throughout the day.Destinations across the network were affected, and the outage appeared centered in Terminal 5. The majority of the destinations canceled were short-haul, with flights to Berlin (BER), Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), and Athens (ATH) among those called off.Photo: Jakov Fabinger

No other airlines were affected.

Flights on other oneworld Alliance partner airlines, including Qatar and Aer Lingus remained unaffected. Flights for the carrier have been resumed as of late afternoon Wednesday as the airline is offering to rebook affected passengers.

Eligible travelers are also being offered compensation and accommodation where applicable, a spokesman for British Airways has confirmed to Simple Flying this afternoon:

While we were able to resolve the temporary technical issue we experienced earlier today quickly and resume flight operations at Heathrow Terminal 5, we deeply regret that we have now had to cancel some of our flights this evening. We are taking steps to ensure as many customers as possible travel as planned.

We have apologised to our customers for the inconvenience we have caused them, are offering to refund or rebook them onto alternative flights, and providing refreshment vouchers and hotel accommodation where needed.

Terminal 5 is the home of British Airways. Photo: British Airways
The issues were primarily centered in Terminal 5. Photo: British Airways

Long-haul flights arriving from the United States from Boston, New York (JFK), and Washington D.C at both Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore (BWI) were among those canceled. The majority of short-haul flights, including services to the German airports of Hamburg (HAM), Düsseldorf (DUS), and Hannover (HAJ), remain canceled for this evening.

A few routes are still scheduled to be undertaken tonight since the issues have been resolved. Services to Gothenburg, Basel, Madrid, and Johannesburg are expected to proceed. Passengers flying to Cape Town in South Africa will have to remain in the area overnight as the flight has been rescheduled for tomorrow, March 31st.

British Airways, Bag Drop, Heathrow Express
Photo: British Airways

The airline's 19:00 service to Bucharest (OTP), an essential destination to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, has been delayed; but is still estimated to depart at 21:19 local time.

The second outage for the carrier in a month

Passengers on British Airways faced a similar problem in February when the IT systems at London Heathrow were inaccessible. The outage canceled flights for the day, and the airline's website and mobile app were both down as well, leaving customers both in London and abroad unable to check-in or make flight reservations.

The airline has acknowledged the backlog of calls being handled at the moment and encouraged customers on Twitter who are not able to get through to customer services to reach out via the social media platform.

Passengers who have been affected by the cancelations are eligible for refunds and complimentary accommodation until their rescheduled flight, where applicable.