Hundreds of flights cancelled at UK airports as air traffic control issue causes widespread disruption - BBC NewsBBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeClimateWorldUS & CanadaUKBusinessTechScienceEntertainment & ArtsHealthMoreIn PicturesBBC VerifyNewsbeatUKEnglandN. IrelandScotlandWalesIsle of ManGuernseyJerseyLocal NewsLive. 19,188 viewing19188 viewingLive pageUpdated 2 minutes agoHundreds of flights cancelled at UK airports as air traffic control issue causes widespread disruptionDisruption at Airports Following Air Traffic Control ProblemsBBC NewsCloseTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedWatch liveSummaryHundreds of flights are cancelled at airports across the UK due to an issue with air traffic controlNats - the air traffic control provider - says the glitch is with its "flight processing system" and that a fix has been deployed, later adding recovery was "taking longer than hoped"Heathrow, Manchester and East Midlands airports are among those reporting issues - airports in Scotland and Ireland are also experiencing delaysPhil White, travelling to Lanzarote, has been stuck on the runway at Gatwick for hours. "The pilots have been on every 20 minutes saying they are waiting for information," he tells usMeanwhile, Chloe Davis, an aspiring pilot, takes the opportunity to explore the cockpit on her delayed Virgin Atlantic plane to OrlandoRyanair says 65,000 of its passengers have been delayed by up to eight hours while British Airways warns of a "significant knock-on impact for customers and colleagues"There's now a backlog of flights and aircraft across Europe in the wrong place - sorting all of this out will take time, writes our correspondentClose formAre you affected?Get in touchLive ReportingEdited by Jamie WhiteheadRecovery taking 'longer than hoped', says air traffic control providerpublished at 19:50 BST19:50 BST
Air traffic control provider Nats says recovery from its
system issue that has caused widespread disruption is taking "longer than
we had hoped"."Our system issue is now resolved, we are operating
normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights,"
it says in a post on X."We are truly sorry for the ongoing flight disruption.
We know this is hugely frustrating and apologise unreservedly. Passengers
should continue to check with their airline."
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingStarters served on Heathrow tarmac after stranded passengers unable to disembarkpublished at 19:44 BST19:44 BST
Image source, Emma ChunEmma Chun is currently tucking into her British Airways
starter on the Heathrow tarmac after her flight was cancelled, but passengers
aren’t yet able to get off the plane.She says the flight was due to take off for New York at
13:20 BST, but all flights were grounded before the plane was given clearance to
take off - with passengers since being told the flight had been cancelled.Emma was still on the plane at 18:30. "We can’t get off the plane as there’s no steps
available so they’ve just served our starters," she says, adding that
cabin crew have been able to tell passengers very little.Emma adds that British Airways have instead booked them on
an alternative flight tomorrow, via Copenhagen, arriving in New York on Thursday
evening."We were due to fly to Buffalo for the day on Thursday to go to Niagra Falls so it means we would also miss that," she says.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingAt least 22 flights diverted from Heathrow - here's where they've gonepublished at 19:24 BST19:24 BSTFaye HawkerLive reporter
So far this afternoon, at least 22 flights which were due to
land at Heathrow have been diverted to other UK and European airports. They are: 15:10 Finnair 1335 Helsinki to Heathrow
diverted to Stansted15:25 BA268 Los Angeles to Heathrow
diverted to Manchester15:35 BA381 Tirana to Heathrow landed at
Gatwick15:45 BA008 Tokyo to Heathrow diverted to
Manchester15:45 SQ 308 Singapore to Heathrow diverted
to Paris15:45 BA625 Tivat to Heathrow diverted to
Gatwick16:00 AM007 Mexico City to Heathrow
diverted to Paris16:00 TK1931 Istanbul to Heathrow diverted
to Birmingham16:05 BA274 Las Vegas to Heathrow diverted
to Gatwick16:10 EK031 Dubai to Heathrow diverted to
Birmingham16:15 VS301 Delhi to Heathrow diverted to
Stansted16:20 NH211 Tokyo to Heathrow diverted to
Stansted16:30 CI081 Taipei to Heathrow diverted to
Frankfurt16:40 TK1971 Istanbul to Heathrow diverted
to Brussels16:45 BA717 Istanbul to Heathrow diverted
to Luton16:55 BA062 Nairobi to Heathrow diverted to
Stansted17:00 BA 689 Santorini to Heathrow diverted
to Stansted17:35 VS 024 Los Angeles to Heathrow
diverted to Manchester17:40 BA705 Larnaca to Heathrow diverted to
Manchester17:45 6E001 Mumbai to Heathrow diverted to
Amsterdam18:15 BA198 Mumbai diverted to Amsterdam18:40 BA238 Boston to Heathrow diverted to
Glasgow
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSmall numbers of aircraft being released as 'trials', BBC understandspublished at 19:12 BST19:12 BSTBreakingKaty AustinTransport correspondent
An airport source says Nats are now releasing small numbers of aircraft as “trials” at various airports, with a view to ramping up to more regular flights.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMy flight has been cancelled on the way to my own weddingpublished at 19:10 BST19:10 BSTCharlotte SimpsonReporting from Gatwick Airport
Image caption, Charlotte has her wedding dress, and her fiance, but unfortunately no flightI'm at Gatwick and was due to be on the 17:15 flight to
Bari, Italy, as I'm due to get married In Puglia on Saturday.I’ve got my wedding dress with me, I’ve got my fiance with
me, but sadly we are not going to be going anywhere tonight.Our flight is among those that have been cancelled this
afternoon because of this disruption with air traffic control.It's pretty chaotic at the moment, people have just been
wondering around looking for help - but from what we've seen they've just had
to wait around to be told over the public address system - like us - that their
flight is cancelled.Everyone has been rushing on the phone, trying to call
various airlines to try and get re-booked.Luckily our wedding isn't until Saturday, so we do have a bit
of time. But it isn't the tranquil start to our wedding celebrations
that we had imagined unfortunately.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFrustration among passengers in Malta as flights to UK cancelledpublished at 18:57 BST18:57 BSTManish PandeyReporting from Malta International Airport
I’m at Malta International Airport, where my flight home to
London Gatwick has been cancelled.The departures board initially showed “delayed” to all
UK-bound flights when we arrived, before changing the 21:30 BA flight to
cancelled. The official at the British Airways counter has told us all
flights to the UK have been cancelled because of the air traffic issues.There are a significant number of travellers heading home to
the UK. We’ve been told that accommodation is being worked on, and
we will be told through the BA app what the next steps are.There is frustration from lots of passengers, and the coffee
shop in the airport is filling up quickly with exhausted travellers.For now, the wait continues.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBritish Airways says fault will have 'significant knock-on impact' for customerspublished at 18:45 BST18:45 BST
Image source, PA MediaBritish Airways says it has been informed by the air traffic
controller that the "fault has been resolved" but due to the severity
of the issue, there will be a "significant knock-on impact for customers
and colleagues".A spokesperson for the airline says it was forced to cancel
or divert more than 100 flights this afternoon, "inconveniencing tens of
thousands of customers".This incident was "entirely out of our control and
incredibly frustrating for our customers and colleagues," it says, with
aircraft and crews ending up out of place."We ask customers whose flights have been cancelled not
to travel to the airport and to bear with us if they’re trying to get in touch,
as our call centres are incredibly busy at the moment."Customers due to travel today or tomorrow are able to
make changes to their booking on ba.com," it adds.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPhones being frantically checked and queues for empty check-in desks at Gatwickpublished at 18:39 BST18:39 BSTTheo WhyteReporting from Gatwick Airport
There is a long queue snaking back from the service desk at Gatwick airport. People are frantically checking departure screens and their
phones for updates. Others are calling airlines in an attempt to find alternate
arrangements. At the airline check-in desks, passengers are queuing up in
front of empty Iberia desks, hoping someone will appear and give them some information.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGovernment must improve resilience of air traffic control - shadow transport ministerpublished at 18:24 BST18:24 BST
Shadow transport minister has criticised the government
and Nats for allowing another air traffic control incident after a major outage brought
UK airports to a standstill last year.“Yet again passengers are stuck on the tarmac wondering why
Britain cannot keep its own skies open," Greg Smith says.He adds that Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander
"promised after last year’s Swanwick fault that she would work with Nats
to prevent this happening again. It has happened again.“The Government and Nats must explain what has happened and
how they will make sure resilience is improved.”Earlier,
Alexander said she was "aware" of the technical issue and
apologised for the frustration.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHeathrow Airport runs out of space due to flights not departingpublished at 18:03 BST18:03 BSTKaty AustinTransport correspondent
What’s really noticeable here at Heathrow Airport is that the skies have fallen quiet. My understanding is Heathrow reached the point this afternoon where it couldn’t take in any more arriving flights because things hadn’t been departing - and basically the airport ran out of space.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLong queues of frustrated passengers at Dublin Airportpublished at 17:49 BST17:49 BSTAlfie TobuttBBC Your Voice
Image caption, Long queues are forming at Dublin AirportThe queue for Ryanair’s ticket desk here at Dublin Airport stretches almost the entire length of the Terminal 1 departures hall.There are so many frustrated passengers in the queue that they are blocking the doors at the entrance to the terminal.While the air traffic control group Nats says it has implemented a fix and systems are “starting to recover”, it will be a while before the situation returns to normal.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHow Scottish airports are responding to the disruptionpublished at 17:37 BST17:37 BSTKaty ScottBBC Scotland news
Flights at Scottish airports have also been disrupted by the technical issue at Nats air traffic control.Glasgow and Aberdeen say some services may experience delays and it is advising passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.Edinburgh says Nats has implemented a fix, but knock-on disruption is likely throughout the day as operations recover.Airports in Inverness and the Highlands and Islands say London flights are experiencing “significant delays”, but passengers should check-in at their normal time and check for updates.Glasgow International Airport has seen 18 flights cancelled today, while 29 have been cancelled at Edinburgh Airport.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingDisruption likely to persist for hours to come due to flight backlogpublished at 17:32 BST17:32 BSTTheo LeggettInternational business correspondent
Nats says the problem with its flight processing system - which provides air traffic controllers with essential information about aircraft flying through UK airspace - is being resolved. But the disruption is likely to persist for hours to come.Here’s the problem. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and many more delayed across the country.Although the technical issue affected departures, arrivals were also hit as space on the ground became increasingly restricted. So planes from overseas airports were held on the tarmac as well.The result is that now there’s a backlog of flights, and aircraft across Europe are in the wrong place. Sorting all of this out is likely to take time.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingAspiring pilot allowed into cockpit during Heathrow delaypublished at 17:24 BST17:24 BSTRozina SiniBBC Your Voice
Image source, Chloe DavisImage caption, Chloe Davis is an aspiring pilot from CambridgeshireChloe Davis, 18, from Cambridgeshire, is sitting on a Virgin Atlantic plane at Heathrow waiting to fly to Orlando. She is an aspiring pilot and is not overly worried about the delays, but would like to know more about what's going on."We are stuck in limbo not being able to know because the pilots don't even know what's going on," she tells me. "I went into the cockpit to speak to the pilots as I myself am an aspiring pilot," she says, adding that Flightradar is the "quietest I've seen airspace in ages". "It's out of our control, so why worry is my motto," she adds.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGuernsey and Jersey airports also hit by disruptionpublished at 17:21 BST17:21 BSTHarry WhiteheadJournalist at BBC Guernsey
Guernsey and Jersey airports are facing significant delays and cancellations due to the technical issues with the UK air traffic control group Nats.Guernsey Airport says it is working closely with airlines and provisions have been put in place to keep the airport open late "if required".The disruption has meant that Jersey's national football club Jersey Bulls, has had to postpone its FA Cup replay match against Burgess Hill Town FC.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLatest from London airports as flights cancelledpublished at 17:13 BST17:13 BST
Image source, ReutersImage caption, An aerial view of London Gatwick Airport taken in AugustLondon Heathrow says the issue is affecting arriving and departing flights across UK airports as it apologised to those who are impacted.The airport is advising passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information and only travel to the airport if their flight is confirmed.London Gatwick has asked passengers to check with airlines for information on their flights adding that the issue is affecting them.London Stansted has similarly asked passengers to check with their airlines before travelling. It says it will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.London Luton, London Southend airport and London City airport have all posted similar statements.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We are a priority to depart apparently, we just don’t know when'published at 17:05 BST17:05 BSTJames KellyBBC News
Nisha Lahiri, 46, has been sitting on board BA flight BA119 from Heathrow to Bengaluru, India, which has been stuck on the tarmac for more than two-and-a-half hours.The flight should have departed at 2pm but has been caught up in the disruption caused by an issue with air traffic control."We boarded and have been waiting on the aircraft since then. I’m going for a family wedding in two days," she says.Nisha says passengers are now being offered food, but there won't be any more until two hours before landing after the 10.5-hour flight.She says the flight is a "priority to depart apparently," adding: "We just don’t know when as the issue with ATC isn’t resolved yet.""The cabin crew has been helpful, they’re letting passengers use their phones to contact family if needed. Wi-Fi is also free on board."Image source, BBC Your Voice
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFlight systems 'starting to recover' as fix implemented - Natspublished at 16:58 BST16:58 BSTBreaking
Air traffic control group Nats has issued a new statement saying they have issued a fix - with the flight system "starting to recover"."We are continuing to work closely with our airline and airport customers on recovery," it adds.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLatest from UK airports as flights hit by delays and cancellationspublished at 16:57 BST16:57 BST
Liverpool John Lennon Airport says it is aware of the technical issue with Nats’ air traffic control service, which may have some impact on departures from Liverpool.Birmingham Airport says the issue is “impacting a significant number of departing flights across the country”. It has advised passengers to arrive in line with their airline's check-in requirements, and to contact their airline directly for the latest flight information and updates.Manchester Airport Group says it is aware of the issues and it has advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline.Bristol Airport says technical issues might impact departing flights, but arriving flights are not currently affected. It has told customers to check with their airline for more information.East Midlands Airport says flights have been affected by the issue, and it has advised passengers to check with their airline providers. Southampton Airport, Glasgow Airport and Belfast Airport have also issued similar statements on the disruption.
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRyanair says more than 65,000 passengers delayed up to 8 hourspublished at 16:52 BST16:52 BST
The airline says more than 50 of its flights have been cancelled, while over 65,000 passengers have been delayed by up to eight hours due to the Nats technical issue.Ryanair criticises Nats for "yet another" system failure causing "widespread delays and cancellations across UK airspace", as it called for the CEO of Nats to quit.It adds that despite "multiple investigations, reviews, promises and assurances that lessons had been learned, Nats' failures continue".Nats says it has "identified" the issue and its "engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible", adding: "We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise".
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Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and delayed across UK airports due to a significant issue within the air traffic control provider Nats' flight processing system, resulting in widespread disruption across the country and Europe. The provider acknowledged that the system failure caused the glitch affecting essential information for air traffic controllers; however, the recovery process is reportedly taking longer than anticipated, leading to continued operational friction. Airports including Heathrow, Manchester, and East Midlands have reported issues, while airports in Scotland and Ireland are also experiencing delays.

Operational consequences were substantial; Ryanair reported that over 65,000 passengers experienced delays of up to eight hours, and British Airways warned of a significant knock-on impact for both customers and colleagues due to the incident. The technical failure caused flights to be held on the tarmac, leading to aircraft being repositioned across Europe, effectively creating a backlog of flights and aircraft in incorrect locations. This systemic issue impacted arrivals and departures simultaneously, restricting capacity at airports like Heathrow, which reportedly ran out of space because flights were not departing, causing some arriving flights to be diverted to other UK and European destinations; for instance, at least twenty-two flights were diverted from Heathrow to various locations including Stansted, Manchester, Gatwick, Birmingham, and Paris.

Passengers faced significant frustration, with numerous reports detailing long queues, frantic attempts to seek updates, and uncertainty regarding rebooking arrangements while waiting for official information. Personal accounts highlighted the chaos resulting from this disruption, such as an aspiring pilot who observed proceedings from a plane stuck at Heathrow or passengers stranded at airports like Gatwick and Dublin. The situation was complicated by airport-specific responses; for instance, Guernsey and Jersey airports also experienced delays, impacting local events, such as a postponed football match in Jersey. Furthermore, airlines were forced to implement alternative arrangements, with British Airways rebooking passengers onto flights via Copenhagen, and passengers in Malta facing delays on their return home to London Gatwick.

The incident drew criticism regarding the government's handling of air traffic control resilience. The shadow transport minister criticized both the government and Nats for allowing another air traffic control incident following a major outage in the previous year, emphasizing that promised improvements in resilience had not materialized. This critique underscored the need for robust systems to prevent future occurrences and demanded explanations from the relevant authorities regarding how operational resilience will be improved moving forward. Despite the technical team confirming a fix has been deployed and operations are attempting to resume normalcy, the persistence of the backlog indicates that sorting out the widespread disruption will require considerable time.