Travel chaos continues this weekend as hundreds of ticketless families cause massive jams at busy ports following the cancellation of flights, leaving thousands of Brits stranded abroad. Many passengers have been told they may not return home until Wednesday as the world’s biggest IT disaster, caused by a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, might take weeks to fully resolve.

The Port of Dover reported early this morning that it was dealing with “hundreds of displaced” airport passengers and urged travellers to ensure they had a booking before arriving. Ferry operator DFDS posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there were wait times of up to 120 minutes at Dover border controls and 30 minutes at check-in.

The catastrophic IT failure, which impacted 300 million computers worldwide, could take weeks to fix. Experts warn the error could cost the global economy trillions.

Families experienced long queues at airports such as Bristol, Manchester, and Heathrow, with frustrated passengers attempting to catch rescheduled flights. However, with some 167 flights scheduled to depart UK airports and 171 flights due to land in the UK being axed on Friday, many were left stranded.

Global Impact

The meltdown affected planes, trains, hospitals, GPs, banks, and shops globally, falling on what was projected to be the busiest day for the aviation industry in five years. IT experts worked overnight to bring healthcare, financial, and travel companies’ systems back online after they were crippled by the faulty update early on Friday. The issue was caused by a buggy update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon security software, which rendered countless computers useless until the problem was identified.

Passenger Woes

Passengers hoping to catch flights were hunkering down in terminals last night, with a firm representing payroll processors warning that millions risk missing their payday due to the CrowdStrike issue.

Official Response

The Port of Dover X account posted this morning: “We are seeing hundreds of displaced airport passengers arriving at the Port, please ensure you have a booking before arrival.” It also warned that approach roads were “slow-moving,” with a 60-minute wait time in the buffer zone.

CrowdStrike admitted responsibility for the issue, with CEO George Kurtz expressing his deep apologies and clarifying that it was not a security or cyber incident. He assured that the issue had been identified, and isolated, and a fix had been deployed.

Outlook

The travel disruption is expected to extend into the weekend, with industry experts warning that it could take “weeks” for all computers and systems to be fully restored. Passengers are advised to check with airlines for any delays or cancellations before travelling.

As IT experts continue to work on resolving the issue, the global fallout from this incident highlights the fragility of relying on interconnected digital systems. Travelers, businesses, and services worldwide remain on edge, hoping for a swift resolution to this unprecedented crisis.