British Airways cancels 40 Heathrow flights ahead of bank holiday

British Airways on Friday cancelled more than 40 flights on one of the year’s busiest leisure travel days as it grappled to resolve a computer problem that also affected some passengers’ ability to check in remotely.

Associated Press reported that 42 flights, mostly short-haul flights to and from the airline’s London Heathrow hub, would not be operating. The airline’s website asked passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

“We’re aware of a technical issue, which we have been working hard to fix,” the website said.

British Airways said it had apologised to passengers whose flights had been affected and offered them the option to rebook an alternative flight with BA or another carrier, or seek a refund. The airline normally operates about 850 flights daily.

The airline, part of IAG, indicated it had focused cancellations on routes with multiple daily flights, to ensure passengers had alternatives.

BA said: “While the vast majority of our flights continue to operate today, we have cancelled some of our short-haul flights from Heathrow due to the knock-on effect of a technical issue that we experienced yesterday.”