British Airways delays: Holidaymakers stranded after ‘technical issue’ blights flights into Heathrow and Gatwick

British Airways customers around the world are complaining of delays of up to 23 hours over a “technical issue” blighting the airline since late last night.

Passengers have reported overnight chaos, with last-minute cancellations following the apparent IT failure.

This morning, BA said it was working hard to fix the technical glitch “which is affecting some of our flights.”

It is understood flights to Heathrow and Gatwick from the US, Asia and Africa are among those affected.

By 9am, some 45 flights due to land at Heathrow on Thursday were delayed by more than 45 minutes.

BA has yet to provide details on the cause of the issue or on the extent of the disruption.

However, a spokesperson told the Standard that the airline has "rebooked customers onto alternative flights and offered hotel accommodation where they were unable to continue their journeys last night.”

Scores of passengers have taken to social media to express their frustration, with one tweeting: “I would normally empathise with the @British_Airways IT team for a global failure like today, but I'm a passenger with a 22 hour delay, 13 hours from home.

“Personally, IT camaraderie doesn't extend to these lengths.”

Another added: “23 hours extra in Japan because @British_Airways couldn't provide flight plans! #systemoutage 4 and a half hours on a plane, now stuck in the terminal #poorservice.”

While another commented: “British Airways suffering yet another major outage in its computer network, grounding transatlantic flights, triggering delays and potentially preventing Gatwick from operating to schedule. BA can you tell us more? #BritishAirways @British_Airways."

It comes just weeks after tens of thousands of holidaymakers were left stranded following a major IT meltdown.

The airline said it was very sorry for the disruption to customers' travel plans, adding: "We are advising customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information and to ensure that contact details are up to date on their booking, so that we can provide the latest information."