‘Absolute nightmare’: 65,000+ passengers hit as over 1,000 flights cancelled across the UK
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages air traffic control in the UK, said the issue had been resolved and operations were back to normal.
On Tuesday, a technical issue with the UK's air traffic control system caused widespread disruption, with over 1,000 flights cancelled and more than 65,000 passengers left stranded at airports and onboard aircraft. The problem affected at least 15 UK airports, including major hubs such as London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City, Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. The disruption also impacted flights operating beyond the UK, such as those at Dublin Airport.
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS), responsible for managing air traffic in the UK, identified the technical issue with its flight-processing system. Engineers worked to restore normal operations, and the system was reported to be functioning correctly again. NATS CEO Martin Rolfe defended the organization as being "fit for purpose," acknowledging the scale of the backlog of aircraft and passengers.
Ryanair reported that over 65,000 passengers were affected by the cancellations, while British Airways had to cancel or divert more than 100 flights. The scale of the disruption was described as an "absolute nightmare" by passengers, with some facing delays of up to eight hours. Manchester Airport expected to operate a full schedule on Wednesday, while East Midlands Airport also indicated a full schedule for the following day.
Bristol Airport advised that flights were arriving and departing again, but advised passengers to check with their airlines due to potential schedule changes.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the restoration of the NATS system but cautioned that normal flight operations would not return immediately. She urged passengers to continue checking with their airlines, emphasizing that it would take time to fully resume flights.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times - World News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
