Stansted paralyzed: IT system failure causes mass delays and flight cancellations

There have been major delays at Stansted Airport - after a power outage triggered an IT meltdown.

Flights have been cancelled and delayed at the Essex airport. 

Management said the issue has been fixed but passengers should still expect some disruption and delays.

It affected a number of systems at the airport, including check-in, baggage and security.

Engineers are investigating and think it may have been related to the systems’ internet access.

Passenger Update pic.twitter.com/q0HfVw7Rch

— London Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) May 11, 2025

The airport’s official account shared a message on X saying: "Earlier this morning, an IT issue affected several airport systems.

"While the issue has now been fully resolved, some departing flights may still experience delays. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

"We thank our customers for their patience and understanding, and thank our colleagues for their hard work during this incident.

"Passengers are advised to stay in contact with their airline for the latest flight information."

A spokesman from Stansted Airport has since said that they are "not sure at this stage of the root cause, but that is being investigated".

The spokesman also said the failure "appears to have been an issue with internet access".

Taking to social media, stranded travellers showed the extent of the chaos, with thousands of travellers packed into the airport terminal after systems ground to a halt.

Taking to X, one traveller named Anne Alexander spoke of the situation: "Stansted Airport right now. IT system issue, the airport says.

"Some people are queuing outside just to get inside the airport terminal. Some have given up and gone home as they have missed their flights.

"These pics are taken from the queue towards departures and security."

STANSTED AIRPORT CHAOS: IT FAILURE SPARKS MASSIVE QUEUES, MISSED FLIGHTS
Thousands of passengers stuck in long lines at London Stansted this morning after a major system failure hit check-in, baggage & security. Some gave up and went home.
The airport says the issue is resolved,… pic.twitter.com/QT7hxqbCcD

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) May 11, 2025

Holidaymakers Anne Alexander and Yusuf Yusuf Mryuu have also shared videos of themselves in the massive queue, saying some people simply "gave up and went home."

The delays come just as we head into peak holiday season, and disgruntled holidaymakers may want nothing more than to kick back on a beach after a stressful work period.

Stansted experienced a similar delay in peak season last year on July 19, as a result of the global Microsoft IT outage.

Similarly, queues snaked out the door as the worldwide Crowdstrike outage rendered their digital check-in and payment services unusable for several hours.