Flight Delays Continue in UK Following Air Traffic Control System Issue

Flight delays at UK airports are expected to persist into the evening after air traffic control reported that it took longer than anticipated to resolve an issue with its flight processing system. Over 1,000 departures and arrivals at British airports were canceled today, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Major airports affected include Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham, with more than 60 percent of flights at London City canceled and 91 percent delayed in Manchester. Airports such as Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, and Bristol have also reported disruptions. Images from Stansted Airport in Essex show large crowds of passengers waiting for updates on delayed flights and refunds. At Heathrow, where arrivals have been suspended until tomorrow, passengers were seen crowded near ticket desks as queues extended outside the terminals. Some flights from Heathrow to New York were delayed for up to nine hours. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) experienced an issue with its flight processing system, which has now been resolved, but delays are expected to continue as the backlog of flights is cleared. NATS stated, 'Recovery from today's system issue has taken longer than we had hoped.' The organization, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, did not disclose the cause of the problem but indicated there is no evidence suggesting it was due to a cyber incident. An air tracker reported that 352 flights to and from Heathrow were delayed, along with 281 at Gatwick, 249 at Manchester, and 101 at Birmingham. Ryanair reported that over 65,000 of its passengers were affected and called for the resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe. Wizzair also expressed disappointment over the disruption, stating that a critical national infrastructure provider should not repeatedly cause such issues. Shadow Transport Minister Greg Smith criticized the service, emphasizing the need for an explanation and improvements in resilience. In response to calls for his resignation, Rolfe described the incident as 'unfortunate' and accepted full responsibility for maintaining safety and service quality. FlightRadar24 reported numerous canceled flights across various airlines, including easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair, KLM, and Eurowings. Manchester Airport announced that flight disruptions are expected to continue throughout the day. Passengers are advised to check in as usual and consult their airlines for updates. Today's disruptions follow a previous major outage in August 2023 that affected over 700,000 passengers. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the issue and stated that technicians were working to resolve it. Heathrow Airport confirmed that the air traffic control service was experiencing technical issues impacting departing flights. Jersey Airport also reported disruptions due to the air traffic control issues. Airlines have warned passengers of delays but emphasized that the situation is beyond their control. Recent incidents at UK airports have included a plane stuck on the runway at Gatwick and a water supply issue affecting facilities at the airport.