UK Flights Disrupted by Major Air Traffic Control Technical Glitch – What We Know So Far

Flight disruptions hit airports across the UK on Wednesday after a technical failure at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) center halted departures, Sky News reported. 

Here is what we know so far about the development that caused mass travel disruptions across Britain:

• The outage reportedly grounded flights at Edinburgh, Newcastle, Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester. 
• While some incoming flights were still allowed to land, operations were severely affected on the ground. 

System Failure at NATS Control Center

According to a report published by The Associated Press, the incident was traced back to NATS’s Swanwick control center, which manages over 200,000 square miles of the UK airspace. NATS officials confirmed the system glitch early evening, which in turn saw the immediate suspension of outbound flights. “About 20 minutes after the NATS issued an initial alert, the agency reportedly said its engineers had fixed the problem and that it was ‘in the process of restoring normal operations’.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed systems’ restoration but warned that “continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice,” as reported by the AP.

Airlines and Passengers Affected

British Airways, meanwhile, warned that full recovery would take hours, Sky News reported. Departure rates at Heathrow were reportedly capped at 32 flights per hour until around 7:15 pm, before returning to the normal 45-per-hour schedule.

Travel expert Paul Charles spoke with the British broadcaster about the scale of impact and revealed that with roughly 3,080 departures expected, it translates to about 570,000 passengers in and out. “Normally … I’d see a plane going past every 20‑30 seconds,” Charles told Sky News, while adding that full recovery could take two to three hours, and even longer.

Airlines advised passengers to check with their respective carriers. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in a post on X, also reminded travellers of their rights in cases of delay or cancellation.

Friction Over Accountability

Meanwhile, Ryanair criticised the handling of the disruption, calling for NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe to resign. “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of NATS,” Neal McMahon, chief of the budget airline carrier said, per Sky News.

NATS issued a public apology, stating, “We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”