MAJOR technical problems at Sydney Airport have thrown two terminals into chaos and caused hundreds of passengers to be delayed.
The technical issue has affected people at the security and check-in areas at the T1 international and T2 domestic terminal.
The T3 Qantas domestic terminal and inbound flights have not been affected.
Passengers finally started moving slowly through the check-in desks about 7.30am but faced massive queues at both terminals. The backlog of passengers is expected to cause delays for hours.
Sydney Airport confirmed passengers had started being processed.
“We are working hard to catch up any delays,” the airport said.
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 ✈️ (@SydneyAirport) March 8, 2018
On Twitter, Virgin Australia said passengers have started being processed but “at a reduced capacity”.
“Due to a technical issue at Sydney Airport’s domestic and international terminals, guests are being processed through security at a reduced capacity,” the airline said.
“We are holding flights to minimise any disruption to passengers, and working to re-accommodate affected guests.”
Jetstar expected the issue to create a backlog of up to two hours throughout the day.
“Our teams are working to get everyone to their destinations as soon as possible,” a Jetstar spokesman told AAP.
A Sydney Airport spokeswoman said the IT glitch related to a system that affected some cameras, airport doors and alarms at the airport.
Sydney Airport is now processing some passengers manually, but systems aren’t fully operational. Lines are still long, but moving slowly. The airport is asking passengers to contact their airlines directly for updates. Many flights delayed. @2GB873#SydneyAirport#News
— Roshai Murdoch (@roshaimurdoch) March 8, 2018
#BREAKING: Sydney Airport technical glitch has been rectified but lines are slow moving.. lots of delays @sunriseon7pic.twitter.com/eOglRkqn2M
— Samantha Brett (@samanthabrett) March 8, 2018
Passengers couldn’t be processed to ensure their safety, the spokeswoman told the Daily Telegraph.
Passengers are advised to contact their airlines but to head to the airport as planned.
A passenger at the T2 domestic said even after passengers were told to proceed to security, there was still confusion.
“Calling people for the first 4 flights to ‘proceed immediately to security’,” the passenger said.
“Like there’s 10,000 people ahead of them. They need to clear a priority lane, but the cops and security guards are standing at the back of the crowd and shrugging their shoulders.”
Friday is one of the busiest travel days for Sydney Airport with thousands of passengers passing through the check-in gates during the morning alone.
Furious passengers have taken to social media to vent their frustration.
“So much for a developed city, can’t solve a security screening issue since the last 3 hours,” Nishank Kotain tweeted.
So much for a developed city, can’t solve a security screening issue since the last 3 hours #Sydney#sydneyairportpic.twitter.com/GwcPlcp9Ku
— Nishank Kotian (@nishank27) March 8, 2018
Passenger Jeff Evans got caught in the chaos while trying to fly to Adelaide.
“They always have technical glitches, they’re bloody hopeless,” Mr Evans told the Telegraph.
“I can’t believe in this day and the computer system could crash like that.”
Another passenger waiting to get through check-in said she had “never seen it this busy” at Sydney Airport.
Others have criticised the “poor communication” shown by the airport during the hours-long delays.
“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,” Andrew Telfer tweeted.
#SydneyAirport. T2. No information given to passengers. They are calling people through for priority flights, but there is no priority lane for them to push through thousands. pic.twitter.com/oyU7HC7L5R
— Frosty Oz (@Frosty_Oz) March 8, 2018
Some passengers arrived for flights as early as 4am on Friday, to be stuck outside closed gates between the departure and security for hours.
“They announced that they had a power outage and so no one could go through border security,” passenger Jennifer Olding told Fairfax.
Earlier, Sydney Airport’s general manager of corporate affairs, Sally Fielke, said crews were working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
“We’ve got the IT and technical teams working at the moment with the software provider,” she told Alan Jones on 2GB.
“Our key priority is we’ve got to get this glitch fixed. What it means at the moment is we can’t process outbound passengers.
“People who have booked flights to head out this morning … we are unable to process them.
“We’re asking passengers: you’re going to have to be a little bit patient this morning.”
Have you been affected by the delays? Email lauren.mcmah@news.com.au.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Technical issues causing delays at Sydney Airport"
Post a Comment