More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across Britain after a technical failure in the country's air traffic control system disrupted operations at major airports, leaving thousands of passengers facing delays and cancellations.
The disruption was caused by a technical problem with the flight processing system operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages air traffic control across the UK. The failure affected the movement of aircraft across the network, leading to widespread disruption at airports in London and other parts of the country.
Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh among airports affected
Several major airports reported disruptions, including London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh, while Luton, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Glasgow also experienced delays and cancellations.
According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights had been cancelled at airports across Britain by Tuesday night, highlighting the scale of the disruption.
Flightradar24 said arrivals and departures were being regulated across the London flight information region because of the technical problem. The restrictions affected aircraft movements and contributed to delays across the wider aviation network.
Heathrow, Britain's largest airport, said it was coordinating closely with NATS to manage the disruption and reduce its impact on passengers and flight schedules.
Edinburgh Airport also warned passengers that the air traffic control issue could affect flights operating to and from the airport.
NATS says technical issue resolved
NATS initially said engineers were working to identify and fix the problem and restore normal operations.
The air traffic control provider later announced that a technical fix had been implemented and that the system issue had been resolved. However, it warned that clearing the backlog created by the disruption would take time.
"Our system issue is now resolved. We are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights," NATS said.
Although air traffic control services returned to normal, the knock-on effects continued as aircraft and crew were left out of position following the cancellations and delays.
Air India diverts, delays and cancels flights
The disruption also affected international carriers operating to and from the UK, including Air India.
The airline said on Wednesday that several of its flights had been diverted, delayed or cancelled because of the technical failure affecting Britain's air traffic control system.
Air India warned that the disruption could have a wider impact on some of its other services because aircraft and crew had been left out of position.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and are making every effort to minimise disruptions as much as possible," the airline said in a travel advisory on X.
Passengers travelling on Air India flights to or from the UK were advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
Disruption extends beyond Britain
The impact of the technical failure was not limited to UK airports. Dublin Airport said flights arriving from and departing for Britain could also be affected, highlighting the wider impact on European air travel.
British Airways also confirmed that it was experiencing disruption because of the technical failure affecting the UK's national air traffic control system.
With the technical issue now resolved, airlines and airports are working to clear the backlog and restore flight schedules. However, passengers could continue to experience delays and cancellations as the aviation network gradually returns to normal.
