London Luton Airport “remains fully operational” as a major worldwide IT outages have hit travel, retail and healthcare industries across the world, with more than 5,000 flights cancelled across the globe.
This issue has been caused by a software “defect” in Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike’s Windows operating system updates, though George Kurtz, the CEO of the company, has said: “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”
In a statement at 6pm, Luton Airport said of the IT issue: “London Luton Airport remains fully operational, although some delays are possible as some airlines work to restore their systems impacted by today’s global IT outage.
“Passengers should continue to check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling to the airport.”
Thameslink, who operate trains through all three Luton railway stations, said in a statement: “Whilst we are still having some issues, access to our key systems have been restored meaning we are now working to restore the service timetable.
“There are still some delays on the network however, so please continue to check your journey before travelling and allow extra travel time.”
While the majority of GP surgeries in England are experiencing issues, NHS England says it has “long-standing measures in place to manage the disruption, including using paper patient records and handwritten prescriptions, and the usual phone systems to contact your GP.”
The NHS added: “There is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as they usually would.
“Patients should attend appointments unless told otherwise. Only contact your GP if it’s urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111.”
The issue has even affected Luton Town Football Club’s ticket buying platform.
The Hatters said: “A third party software outage is impacting computer systems worldwide, including at Luton Town where our Ticketmaster platform has been affected.
“Supporters wishing to access the ticket portal to purchase tickets are advised not to join the queue for any tickets.
“Any fans who have ticketing queries are advised to contact the ticket office by phone on 01582 416976 for assistance.”
