Perth Airport’s disruption was a historical IT outage on Tuesday, 17 January 2023—not a current August 2026 incident. Check-in, self-service kiosks and bag-drop systems failed during the morning, forcing manual processing and creating long queues. Some departing flights were delayed, but flights continued arriving and departing and Perth Airport said terminal and airfield operations remained safe and secure.
What happened on 17 January 2023?
Perth Airport experienced an IT and networking outage during the morning of 17 January 2023. The failure affected passenger-processing services rather than closing the airport. Perth Airport’s contemporaneous statement, reported by PerthNow, said terminals were experiencing IT issues affecting check-in and other services, while flights continued to arrive and depart.
Which airport services failed?
- Check-in services were disrupted.
- Self-service check-in stands stopped working.
- Automated bag-drop facilities were unavailable.
- Some airport networking systems and other passenger-facing services were affected.
The available report does not identify the failed technical component, supplier, root cause or exact duration. It also does not establish that every airline’s reservation or departure-control system failed.
Why did queues and delays develop?
With automated check-in and bag drop unavailable, airline personnel had to process passengers manually. Manual processing has lower throughput than normal kiosks and automated baggage acceptance, so a backlog formed at check-in desks. That bottleneck delayed some outbound flights and could also affect baggage loading and boarding sequences.
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A flight can still appear to be operating while passengers are unable to complete check-in normally. The airport’s flight operation and an airline’s passenger-processing workflow are related but distinct systems.
Were flights cancelled or was Perth Airport closed?
No airport-wide closure is established by the contemporaneous account. Some outbound flights were delayed, but arrivals and departures continued. Perth Airport said terminal and airfield operations remained safe and secure and later reported that operations had returned to normal. The report does not provide a total number of delayed flights, and it does not support describing the event as a mass cancellation or a runway failure.
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What Perth Airport said, and what remains unknown
The airport attributed the passenger disruption to IT issues and warned that delays could occur while systems were affected. Its safety and recovery assessments should be understood as statements from Perth Airport, not as an independent technical investigation.
- Established: check-in, self-service facilities and bag drop were affected; manual processing created queues; some departures were delayed; flights continued operating.
- Not established: a cyberattack, a specific vendor failure, the precise outage duration, the number of affected passengers or flights, or equal impact across all airlines.
Airport infrastructure versus airline responsibility
Perth Airport manages airport infrastructure and facilities, while airlines operate their check-in desks, boarding processes, baggage acceptance and passenger re-accommodation. The outage was reported as a Perth Airport IT problem, but the immediate queue was handled at airline counters. Rebooking, missed-connection decisions and baggage arrangements therefore had to be resolved with the relevant airline.
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How this differed from other Perth Airport disruptions
| Date and event | What happened | How it differs from the January 2023 outage |
|---|---|---|
| 3 August 2022 Severe-weather power failure |
Power loss grounded outbound services scheduled before 8:30pm, causing widespread cancellations and delays. Perth Airport later said parts of its backup generation had not operated as intended, while critical safety systems such as runway lighting continued working. Sources: ABC News and Perth Airport. | A weather-related power incident with widespread flight cancellations, not a check-in systems outage. |
| 17 January 2023 Airport IT outage |
Check-in, kiosks and bag drop were disrupted; staff switched to manual processing; some outbound flights were delayed while flights continued operating. Source: PerthNow. | The disruption was concentrated in passenger processing, not airport-wide power or airfield operations. |
| 19 July 2024 Global systems outage |
A separate global IT incident produced long queues at Perth Airport. Check-in systems for some airlines, including Virgin Australia, were affected, and Jetstar cancelled international flight JQ116, scheduled for about 4:40pm. Flights continued, but delays were possible. Source: The West Australian. | A later global systems event; its airline cancellations should not be attributed to the 2023 outage. |
What passengers should do during a future airport IT outage
- Check the airline first. Use the airline’s app, website or customer-service channel for the latest departure, check-in and rebooking information. Perth Airport’s passenger guidance also directs travellers to their airline for flight status.
- Allow extra time. Manual check-in and baggage acceptance can create much longer queues than normal.
- Keep documents ready. Have your booking reference, identification and any visa or travel documents accessible.
- Confirm baggage acceptance. Do not assume that a boarding pass or flight-status display means your checked bag has been accepted when self-service bag drop is unavailable.
- Ask the airline about missed connections. Rebooking and baggage arrangements are airline matters; do not leave a queue without confirming that your booking has been processed.
- Keep reasonable-expense records. Retain receipts if the disruption creates costs, but do not assume compensation is automatic. Eligibility depends on the airline, ticket terms, cause and applicable Australian rules.
Is Perth Airport experiencing this outage now?
No. The matching event occurred on 17 January 2023. Current Perth Airport notices concern access congestion, construction and runway works rather than this historical IT failure. Travellers should consult Perth Airport’s passenger updates and the runway-works information for present-day conditions.
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