Sydney Airport thrown into chaos by major technical issue
AN IT glitch that affected CCTV cameras, airport doors and alarms stranded thousands of passengers at the T1 and T2 terminals at Sydney Airport today.
NSW
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AN IT glitch that affected CCTV cameras, airport doors and alarms stranded thousands of passengers at the T1 and T2 terminals at Sydney Airport today.
The blackout left hundreds of passengers stranded, with massive queues snaking outside the airport before it was fixed almost two hours later.
The airport was forced to take the extraordinary step of telling people to avoid the two terminals as crews attempted to resolve the issue.
A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said that there was an IT issue which meant they couldn’t process customers.
She said the glitch related to a system that affected some cameras, airport doors and alarms.
They couldn’t process anyone through the airport to ensure safety of people flying.
T1 was clear now and domestic was clearing at 8am, she said.
The problem was resolved by about 7.30am allowing passengers to be processed again, but delays remain.
Passengers are advised to arrive early for flights today and check with their airline.
The T3 Qantas terminal was not affected.
UPDATE: We are now processing passengers at Sydney Airport. We are working hard to catch up any delays. Please contact your airline for flight status. We appreciate your patience this morning.
— Sydney Airport âœˆï¸ (@SydneyAirport) March 8, 2018
Sydney Airport has promised to strengthen its IT resilience in wake of airport issues this morning.
“Our systems were able to alert us that there had been an IT issue well in advance of our terminal opening this morning. We identified that our systems, including our CCTV, had been affected and we immediately worked with our technology providers to resolve the issue and ensure that security would not be compromised. Our ongoing focus is working to strengthen and enhance our IT resilience.”
People waiting for flights at the domestic airport say they have “never” seen it this busy.
Jeff and Gem Evans are heading to Adelaide to see their son.
“They always have technical glitches, they’re bloody hopeless,” Mr Evans said.
“I can’t believe in this day and age the computer system could crash like that.”
Christa Swana had been waiting at the airport for two hours.
“I’ve got work at 10am,” she said.
“They said you had to start queuing two hours before at the counter.
“I’ve never seen it this busy.”
Earlier Sydney Airport tweeted: “We’re experiencing technical issues at T1 and T2 causing interruptions to passenger processing and delays.
“We’re working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and thank you for your patience. “We’re advising passengers and visitors to avoid T1 and T2 until further notice.”
Passengers were left frustrated at the system failure.
Absolute scenes at #SydneyAirport @SydneyAirport after they stopped letting people through security due to an issue with the X-ray machine. Massive queues! pic.twitter.com/phbpjA6XR0
— Callum M Batchelor (@callumichaelb) March 8, 2018
Andrew Telfer tweeted: “Comms were very poor, bags on scanner belt then all stop for nearly an hour before we were moved back to check-in area ... get your disaster planning sorted.”
Jennifer Olding, who had been at the airport since 4am, said the gates between the departure and security were closed.
“They announced that they had a power outage and so no one could go through border security,” she said.
Ms Olding said it wasn’t clear how long it would take to fix and even airline staff were unable to proceed past the gates.
Friday is one of the busiest travel days for Sydney Airport, with thousands passing through the check-in gates during the morning alone.
Today’s disruption comes 24 hours after the domestic terminals experienced problems with water supply, with travellers complaining that toilets wouldn’t flush.
Both the T2 and T3 domestic terminals were affected.
Customers took to social media to vent their frustration before the problem was fixed.
In September last year, thousands of passengers were left stranded following an air traffic control system failure.