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More than 1,000 flights to and from airports across the United Kingdom were cancelled on Tuesday following a technical problem with the country’s air traffic control system.
A total of 1,055 flights had been cancelled by 8pm, according to aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24, as the disruption affected major airports across the country and in neighbouring Ireland.
Britain’s air traffic control service, NATS, said the technical problem had been resolved but warned that it would take time to clear the backlog of affected flights.
“Recovery from today’s system issue has taken longer than we had hoped,” NATS said in a statement posted on X.
The agency later said its system was operating normally and that it was working to clear the backlog, describing the disruption as “hugely frustrating” and apologising to affected passengers.
The disruption affected Heathrow Airport, Britain’s largest and busiest airport, as well as Gatwick Airport south of London.
Liverpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh airports were also affected, while Dublin Airport in Ireland reported dozens of cancelled flights.
Passengers described scenes of severe disruption, with some forced to remain on aircraft for hours before flights were cancelled or diverted.
Healthcare worker Josie Donoghue said she had to leave her flight to Ireland after spending about three hours stuck on the runway at Gatwick.
“Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz,” she told the Press Association.
British Airways said it had been forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
Irish airline Ryanair also reported significant disruption, saying more than 65,000 passengers had been affected and more than 50 flights cancelled.
The disruption also affected Arsenal, whose team was travelling to southern Italy ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League match against Napoli. The club was forced to cancel a scheduled press conference after the team’s flight was delayed.
British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was seeking assurances that lessons would be learned and that systems supporting the country’s aviation sector were capable of handling operations effectively.
The latest disruption comes after a technical problem in July last year caused widespread flight cancellations and prompted criticism from airline executives.
Britain also experienced its worst air traffic systems failure in years in 2023, when hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled and more than 700,000 passengers were affected.
Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon renewed calls for NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe to be removed, accusing the organisation of once again failing British travellers.
“Enough is enough, it’s time for the UK government to intervene… and put somebody in charge who can do the job,” McMahon said.
