Air travellers across the United Kingdom have been hit by widespread disruption after a technical problem affecting the country’s air traffic control system led to the cancellation of more than 150 flights.
Flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that at least 177 flights scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled, following an earlier disruption that affected about 1,300 flights travelling to and from UK airports.
Heathrow Airport in London, the country’s busiest airport, recorded the largest share of the latest cancellations.
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which oversees the UK’s air traffic control network, said it was working to restore normal operations after the technical problem.
According to the organisation, although the fault had been resolved, the disruption had created a significant backlog across the aviation network, making the recovery process more difficult.
NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe accepted responsibility for the disruption when he spoke to Sky News, although he did not indicate whether he was considering stepping down from his position.
The development also prompted Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to arrange a meeting with the NATS chief, amid calls for assurances that the incident would be investigated and lessons learnt.
Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon, however, renewed calls for Rolfe to be removed from his position. He accused the NATS leadership of failing passengers and urged the government to take action over the management of the air traffic control system.
Heathrow said flight departures resumed late Tuesday after the technical problem had earlier forced the temporary suspension of arrivals. However, the airport warned passengers that significant delays and cancellations could continue and advised travellers to check directly with their airlines before heading to the airport.
British Airways also said the disruption was having a major knock-on effect, affecting tens of thousands of its passengers.
Passengers reported difficult scenes at several airports. At Gatwick, healthcare worker Josie Donoghue described the experience as extremely difficult after she was made to leave a flight bound for Ireland following a lengthy wait on the runway.
Airports in Liverpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh were also affected, while Dublin Airport in Ireland reported dozens of cancelled flights.
Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been affected, with more than 50 of the airline’s flights cancelled.
The disruption also affected Arsenal’s travel arrangements ahead of their Champions League match against Napoli in Italy. The English club cancelled its planned pre-match press conference after its flight was delayed.
The latest incident has renewed concerns about the reliability and resilience of the UK’s aviation infrastructure. The country experienced another major air traffic control failure in 2023, when hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled and more than 700,000 passengers were affected.
For travellers caught up in the latest disruption, airlines and airports have advised passengers to confirm the status of their flights before travelling, as efforts continue to clear the backlog.
