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Approximately 625 flights have been cancelled as a result of the UK air traffic control issue, FlightRadar24 has said.
The worst affected airports are Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham, but others are also affected, including Southend, Stansted, London City, Isle of Man and Jersey.
In a statement on X, Heathrow Airport said “there are no flights in or out” of the airport, adding: “We apologise for the delay and hope you have a safe journey.”
Flight Radar said as of 6pm on Tuesday, 625 flights had been cancelled, including 218 with EasyJet, 132 with British Airways, 41 with Ryanair, 37 with KLM and 22 with Eurowings.
The air tracker found 352 flights to and from Heathrow were delayed out of its daily average of about 1,300.
Meanwhile 281 Gatwick flights were delayed out of its 850 total operations average. This was 249 out of 650 for Manchester, and 101 out of 300 for Birmingham.
Passengers are being advised to check in as normal and check with their airlines before travel.
National Air Traffic Services, said they have now identified the issue, and it’s understood a fix is now in place.
In a post on X, it said: “We have implemented a fix and our flight system is starting to recover.
“We are continuing to work closely with our airline and airport customers on recovery.
“We apologise sincerely for the disruption to people’s journeys today and they should continue to check with their airline.”
Flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport. Credit: ITV Meridian
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said engineers had managed to fix the issue.
In a post on X on Tuesday evening, she said: “It will take time to fully resume flights, so continue to check with airlines.”I am seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and systems that support aviation are up to the job. “
EasyJet said some of its flights are “unable to operate” following the technical issue affecting air traffic controller Nats.
“A Nats Air Traffic Control system failure this afternoon is unfortunately causing delays to flights across Europe with some flights unable to operate,” the airline said in a statement.
“We will do all we can minimise the impact of this for our customers including providing customers on flights unable to operate with their options including a free transfer or refund and meals and hotel accommodation for those who require them.
“We would strongly advise customers due to fly today to check our flight tracker: easyjet.com/en/flight-tracker for the latest information.”
The National Air Traffic Services headquarters at Swanwick in Hampshire. Credit: Google Maps
A spokesperson for Jersey Airport added: “UK air traffic control is currently experiencing issues which is impacting flights across the UK including services between Jersey and UK.”Passengers are advised to check the latest flight information directly with their airline.”
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of a NATS technical issue that is currently affecting a number of UK airports, including London Gatwick.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.”
Edinburgh Airport said it was aware the technical issue affecting air traffic control service Nats “may impact operations”.
A post on X said: “We are aware of a technical issue affecting @NATS which may impact operations.
“We are working closely with air traffic control, airlines and other partners, and hope @NATS can resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Passengers have reported being stuck on the runway for several hours.
One passenger posted on X to say it had been more than three and a half hours on the plane.
Another passenger posted: “Stansted. Waiting to board.
“Then told ‘somethings happened. Go back to the main terminal it’ll be 2 or 3 hours.’
“Not one announcement and people still walking to gates.”
While another said: “We were boarded here at East Midlands with them knowing we’d be delayed. Now we have to sit on the plane for four hours.
“We should have been given the option not to board.
“No I’m praying for it last 5 hours and I’ll get off with a refund.”
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