UK airport chaos: Flights resume after air traffic control failure; Heathrow, Gatwick warn of delays

Flights resumed at major UK airports on Wednesday after an air traffic control system failure cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused delays across Britain. Heathrow and Gatwick warned that disruption could continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew.

Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it had resolved the problem in its flight processing system on Tuesday evening. However, delays continued across 15 UK airports and beyond as airlines and airports worked to clear a backlog of flights.

Heathrow resumed departures but suspended arrivals for the rest of Tuesday night. The airport said flights were operating today, but warned that some disruption may continue.


Gatwick also said its operations would take time to return to normal.

“We still anticipate that it will take time for our operations to fully return to normal,” the airport said.

Passengers were left stranded on aircraft, at terminals and at baggage collection areas during the disruption.

British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights. The airline said aircraft and crew had ended up in different locations, affecting its operations.

“The severity of the issue means there will be a significant knock-on impact,” a British Airways spokesperson said. “This incident was entirely out of our control and incredibly frustrating for our customers and colleagues, with aircraft and crews ending up out of place.”

Passengers on a British Airways flight scheduled to fly from Heathrow to Baltimore spent four hours on the ground before leaving the aircraft. Cabin crew served pasta and chicken curry during the delay, while some passengers watched films or walked through the aisles.

Passengers later reported confusion at the baggage claim area and said they were told to file claims for their bags.

At Gatwick, Josie Donoghue spent three hours on a plane before her Ryanair flight to Ireland was cancelled.

“Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz,” she said, referring to the former island prison in San Francisco Bay. “It’s just an absolute nightmare down there. It’s the only word I can use to describe it.”

Ryanair said more than 65,000 passengers were affected and that it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights.

EasyJet said some of its flights were “unable to operate” and that the system failure caused “delays to flights across Europe.”

Other affected airports included London Stansted and London City, as well as airports in Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland. Passengers have been advised to check their flight status with their airline before travelling.