UK flights grounded: Over 1,750 cancellations after air traffic system failure
A technical fault in the UK's air traffic control system led to over 1,750 flight cancellations, stranding passengers at major airports.
A major technical failure in Britain's air traffic control system caused widespread travel disruption on Tuesday, leading to the cancellation of over 1,750 flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country.
The issue, which originated in the flight processing system operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS), affected operations at 15 UK airports. London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's largest, saw long queues form as travellers faced significant delays and cancellations.
The knock-on effects are expected to persist through Wednesday as airlines work to rebook affected passengers and reposition aircraft that were left at the wrong airports due to the cancellations. The backlog of delayed flights is likely to take time to clear.
NATS has confirmed that the technical problem has been resolved. In the meantime, Heathrow Airport has advised passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling to the terminal. The airport stated that it has deployed additional staff to support affected travellers and is coordinating with airlines and NATS to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.