British Airways flights were facing delays in and out of London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Thursday after a technical glitch overnight, the airline said.

"Our teams are working hard to resolve a technical issue which is affecting some of our flights," said a spokeswoman for BA, owned by airlines group IAG. "We have rebooked customers on to alternative flights and offered hotel accommodation where they have been unable to continue their journeys last night.

"We are very sorry for the disruption to their travel plans. We plan to operate a full flight schedule today," she added.

BA warned that there would be knock-on delays - but declined to comment on the nature of the problem nor the number of flights affected.

"This is the latest in a long line of British Airways technical glitches causing delays and cancellations," said Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel.