The glitch occurred at NATS’ control centre in Swanwick, southwest of London, and forced authorities to significantly reduce air traffic volumes to maintain safety. Although the system is now fully operational, a backlog of flights remains, and recovery is expected to take time.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed that “continued disruption is expected” and advised passengers to check directly with airports for updated travel information. The outage affected departures and arrivals at major UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham.
London Gatwick Airport stated that outbound flights were particularly impacted. Travellers described scenes of “chaos” and criticised poor communication from airlines as planes were diverted mid-flight or forced to return to their departure points.
Aviation analysts warn that the disruption could not have come at a worse time. With summer travel at its peak and Friday forecasted as the busiest day of the year for UK airports, the cascading impact of delays and cancellations may extend well into the weekend.
NATS has assured the public that air traffic operations have resumed normal functionality. However, airlines and airports now face the challenge of clearing a significant operational backlog caused by the outage.
Tags: Heidi Alexander UK airports, National Air Traffic Service (NATS)
