More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the United Kingdom on Tuesday after a technical problem affected the country’s air traffic control system, leaving over 65,000 passengers facing long delays and disruption.
The problem affected at least 15 airports, including London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, Liverpool and Edinburgh. The disruption also affected some flights operating outside the UK, including services at Dublin Airport.
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages air traffic control across Britain, said engineers had identified a technical problem with its flight-processing system and worked to restore normal operations.
NATS later confirmed that the system was operating normally again and that efforts were underway to clear the backlog of flights and passengers. However, authorities warned that it would take time for operations to return completely to normal.
Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reported that more than 1,000 flights had been cancelled, with the number initially standing at around 600. Ryanair said more than 65,000 passengers had been affected, while some travellers faced delays of up to eight hours.
Ryanair cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights. British Airways said it had cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights, warning that the disruption could have a significant knock-on effect because aircraft and crew members were left in the wrong locations.
EasyJet also reported delays and cancellations, saying the system failure had affected flights across Europe.
London Heathrow was among the airports hit hardest by the disruption. While departures resumed, the airport suspended arrivals for the remainder of Tuesday evening. Officials warned passengers that delays would continue as airlines worked to clear the backlog.
Several passengers described the experience as extremely difficult. Travellers reported spending hours inside aircraft and airport terminals before flights were cancelled or rescheduled.
Manchester and East Midlands airports said they expected to operate largely normal schedules on Wednesday, although passengers were warned that airports could be busier than usual as airlines worked through delayed and cancelled services.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the restoration of the NATS system but said normal operations would not return immediately. She urged passengers to check directly with their airlines before travelling and said she was seeking assurances that lessons would be learned from the disruption.
Airports across Britain also advised passengers to check their flight status before heading to terminals as schedules remained subject to change.
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