BA engineer caused IT meltdown that grounded flights worldwide
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA’s parent company IAG, has confirmed that the airline’s computer meltdown that cost the company more than £100 million was caused by human error.
An engineer disconnected a power supply and the correct procedures weren’t followed when it was reconnected, which led to the power surge that knocked out data.
Speaking at an airline conference in Mexico, Walsh said there would now be an independent investigation, carried out by a third party company, ‘to learn from the experience’.
The BBC reported Walsh saying: "It’s very clear to me that you can make a mistake in disconnecting the power.
"It’s difficult for me to understand how to make a mistake in reconnecting the power."
He told reporters the engineer was authorised to be in the data centre, but was not authorised ‘to do what he did’.
Walsh also apologised to the 75,000 passengers who suffered delays and cancellations as a result of the IT failure.
He said: "When you see customers who suffered, you wouldn’t want it to happen to any airline or any business.
"I wouldn’t suggest for one minute we got communications right at BA, we didn’t."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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