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UK air traffic disruption cancels at least 625 flights
At Heathrow, arrivals were also affected as the airport ran out of space for incoming flights due to departures being restricted, causing diversions and a backlog.
Hundreds of flights in and out of the UK have been cancelled after a technical problem disrupted the air traffic control provider Nats, according to BBC Business. Tracking data cited by the outlet shows at least 625 flights were cancelled in or out of the country.
The disruption forced airlines to cancel large numbers of flights, including EasyJet’s 200 cancellations and British Airways cancelling more than 100. With few aircraft able to take off, landings were also restricted, and some departures from overseas airports were prevented.
At Heathrow, departures were paused around lunchtime, traffic later resumed, then disruption returned in the afternoon. The outlet says Heathrow ran out of capacity for incoming flights as planes were not departing, with 13 Heathrow-bound flights diverted to other UK and European airports.
BBC Business added that engineers were on site working to resume normal operations, and that even after the system issue is resolved, delays are likely to persist due to backlogs and aircraft being in the wrong locations across Europe. The outlet also said roughly 4% of UK flights were cancelled or delayed, and that passengers were advised to check their flight status with airlines.