Air traffic control 'glitches' causing major delays for passengers
Flights at several airports - including Stansted, Gatwick, Southampton and Dublin - have been delayed by an air traffic control system problem
By Rebecca Younger
National Air Traffic Services of its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire
National Air Traffic Services of its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire
National Air Traffic Services of its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire
National Air Traffic Services of its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire
2:38 pm
NATS says the glitch which has caused delays across the UK airport network today will not be fixed until this evening.
So far 217 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport, 107 arrivals and 108 departures.
All flights at Stansted experienced delays and 20% of flights at Gatwick were delayed.
So far 217 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport, 107 arrivals and 108 departures.
All flights at Stansted experienced delays and 20% of flights at Gatwick were delayed.
12:12 pm
Take That star Howard Donald has been stranded in Germany due to the air traffic control problems in the UK.
He appealed to his Twitter followers for ideas of things to do to keep him occupied while he waited for a fight to Heathrow.
He appealed to his Twitter followers for ideas of things to do to keep him occupied while he waited for a fight to Heathrow.
10:55 am
Although some passengers who have been stuck inside Heathrow
Airport's terminal buildings for hours, have been allowed to board
flights, they have been told they still face a long wait on the tarmac.
10:48 am
The ongoing technical difficulties causing delays on flights across
the UK have been linked to glitches in the telephone system at air
traffic control.
NATS said that, while it could not specify when the issue would be fixed, it was "working as hard as possible to solve the problem".
A spokesman for the service said the problem was linked to voice communications, which includes, but is not confined to, the telephone system.
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation has said the problem will not be fixed until 4pm.
NATS said that, while it could not specify when the issue would be fixed, it was "working as hard as possible to solve the problem".
A spokesman for the service said the problem was linked to voice communications, which includes, but is not confined to, the telephone system.
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation has said the problem will not be fixed until 4pm.
10:37 am
Passengers flying on cancelled British Airways flights have been told
they will be able to claim a full refund or be booked on alternative
flights.
A spokeswoman for the airline said: ""We are doing all we can to minimise disruption to our flights, but there will inevitably be a number of short-haul cancellations at some UK and European airports.
"Customers on cancelled flights will be able to claim a full refund or rebook on to alternative flights.
"Given that Heathrow is the world's busiest two-runway airport and Gatwick is the world's busiest single-runway airport, there will be problems for all airlines as a result of the ATC failures."
A spokeswoman for the airline said: ""We are doing all we can to minimise disruption to our flights, but there will inevitably be a number of short-haul cancellations at some UK and European airports.
"Customers on cancelled flights will be able to claim a full refund or rebook on to alternative flights.
"Given that Heathrow is the world's busiest two-runway airport and Gatwick is the world's busiest single-runway airport, there will be problems for all airlines as a result of the ATC failures."
10:31 am
Despite some flights now taking off and landing at Heathrow,
passengers at the airport have been tweeting their frustration at the
lack of communication about the delays.
10:18 am
Chris Yates, an aviation expert from Bolton, has described the problem as 'unheard of'.
He told Sky News: "It's a major, major issue having an impact right across the country.
"For those being held on the ground, it's going to be a very long wait I expect."
Mr Yates said he expected that delays would continue until tomorrow morning, while other experts have said it could take days for airports to recover.
He told Sky News: "It's a major, major issue having an impact right across the country.
"For those being held on the ground, it's going to be a very long wait I expect."
Mr Yates said he expected that delays would continue until tomorrow morning, while other experts have said it could take days for airports to recover.
10:05 am
NATS has said the problem at its control centre at Swanwick in
Hampshire, which occurred in the early hours of this morning, will not
be fixed until 2pm today.
Thousands of people are still stranded at the UK's major airports and on planes which are stuck on the tarmac.
Heathrow had cancelled 60 flights by 9.45am, with that figure split roughly equally between departures and arrivals.
A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical issue with air traffic control, flights from many UK airports, including Heathrow, are subject to delay and cancellation.
"If you are flying today you should check the status of your flight with your airline. We are sorry that passengers have experienced disruption to their journeys."
Thousands of people are still stranded at the UK's major airports and on planes which are stuck on the tarmac.
Heathrow had cancelled 60 flights by 9.45am, with that figure split roughly equally between departures and arrivals.
A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said: "Due to a technical issue with air traffic control, flights from many UK airports, including Heathrow, are subject to delay and cancellation.
"If you are flying today you should check the status of your flight with your airline. We are sorry that passengers have experienced disruption to their journeys."
9:56 am
Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, London City, Newcastle,
Exeter, Glasgow and several other airports have all reported delays and
are asking passengers to check with their airlines.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said delays on flights to the South East of England could be as long as three hours.
He added: "We are advising passengers to check with their airlines because there are delays on a number of domestic services as a result of the technical issues with air traffic control.''
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said delays on flights to the South East of England could be as long as three hours.
He added: "We are advising passengers to check with their airlines because there are delays on a number of domestic services as a result of the technical issues with air traffic control.''
9:23 am
Travel reporter Simon Calder has described the technical glitch as a "disaster".
He told BBC Breakfast: "It is a pretty grim start to the weekend for air travellers."
He also warned that early morning delays could lead to further cancellations later in the day.
He told BBC Breakfast: "It is a pretty grim start to the weekend for air travellers."
He also warned that early morning delays could lead to further cancellations later in the day.
9:15 am
Aviation analyst David Learmount compared the 'technical
difficulties' to problems people experience when they turn on their
computer in the morning.
"They've tried to bring some of the equipment online but not all is working satisfactory," he told Sky News.
"Unfortunately what happens after that is even if they get things back on right now there's going to be some delays for the remainder of the day."
"They've tried to bring some of the equipment online but not all is working satisfactory," he told Sky News.
"Unfortunately what happens after that is even if they get things back on right now there's going to be some delays for the remainder of the day."
9:10 am
Passenger Alistair Dunn spoke from inside the cabin of a plane stranded on the tarmac at Gatwick.
He told Sky News: "We've been about 2.5 hours on the plane, on the tarmac.
"To be honest it is what it is and you've just got to get on with it.
"The airport staff have been fantastic serving cups of tea, there's not a lot you can do. We'll just have to sit and wait."
He told Sky News: "We've been about 2.5 hours on the plane, on the tarmac.
"To be honest it is what it is and you've just got to get on with it.
"The airport staff have been fantastic serving cups of tea, there's not a lot you can do. We'll just have to sit and wait."
8:56 am
More UK airports have confirmed they are experiencing problems due to
the technical difficulties including London City Heathrow and Cardiff.
A spokesman for Cardiff Airport said all flights this morning had been affected with no estimated time of arrival for incoming services from Glasgow, Dublin and Amsterdam.
Flight information on Heathrow Airport's website said several flights to both domestic and international destinations had been cancelled.
A spokesman for Cardiff Airport said all flights this morning had been affected with no estimated time of arrival for incoming services from Glasgow, Dublin and Amsterdam.
Flight information on Heathrow Airport's website said several flights to both domestic and international destinations had been cancelled.
8:49 am
Passenger Daisy McAndrew told Sky News she had been caught in the
"unholy mess" at Gatwick as she tried to fly to Barcelona for work.
She said: "As ever, staff have been fantastic but they know nothing other than the fact it is going to be a very, very long delay - very frustrating.
"And also, it's embarrassing, isn't it? When you look around a lot of people on my plane are not British, they are flying British Airways, they are probably trying to get back to Spain and they will inevitably be thinking this is something that could have possibly been prevented.
"It doesn't show our air traffic control system or our travel system in a good light.
"I have never heard of an example where every single plane is grounded - it's quite eerie when I look out of the window to see the tarmac in Gatwick, normally so busy, and also the sky above Gatwick which is normally busy - completely static, there's nothing moving."
She said: "As ever, staff have been fantastic but they know nothing other than the fact it is going to be a very, very long delay - very frustrating.
"And also, it's embarrassing, isn't it? When you look around a lot of people on my plane are not British, they are flying British Airways, they are probably trying to get back to Spain and they will inevitably be thinking this is something that could have possibly been prevented.
"It doesn't show our air traffic control system or our travel system in a good light.
"I have never heard of an example where every single plane is grounded - it's quite eerie when I look out of the window to see the tarmac in Gatwick, normally so busy, and also the sky above Gatwick which is normally busy - completely static, there's nothing moving."
8:47 am
On its website, Ryanair apologised for any
inconvenience, writing: "Ryanair has been advised of an equipment
failure within UK air traffic control which will cause significant
flight delays and possible cancellations."
8:46 am
Here's what the airports spokespersons have to say...
Gatwick Airport: "There are some issues with the air traffic control system. The result of it is that, at the moment, 20% of our flights are being delayed, by anything up to a couple of hours, but we're getting people moving and getting them away. There are no problems with arrivals at the moment."
Stansted Airport: "There are restrictions on the air space and the flow of aircraft. Our first departures go at 6am, so that's when the problems started."
Dublin Airport: "I understand that there are some flight delays as a result of air traffic control issues in the UK."
Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest situation.
Gatwick Airport: "There are some issues with the air traffic control system. The result of it is that, at the moment, 20% of our flights are being delayed, by anything up to a couple of hours, but we're getting people moving and getting them away. There are no problems with arrivals at the moment."
Stansted Airport: "There are restrictions on the air space and the flow of aircraft. Our first departures go at 6am, so that's when the problems started."
Dublin Airport: "I understand that there are some flight delays as a result of air traffic control issues in the UK."
Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest situation.
8:45 am
A "technical problem" at the air traffic control centre is causing delays at airports across the UK.
A Stansted Airport spokesman said all of its departing flights were subject to delays of between 30 minutes and two hours, while Gatwick Airport said 20% of its departures had been delayed, with passengers warned they could wait for "a couple of hours".
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) said the issue stemmed from it control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.
A spokesman said: "Due to a technical problem at Swanwick, we are currently experiencing some difficulty switching from night-time to daytime operation.
"This may result in some delays, for which we apologise.
"Engineers are working to rectify the problem as soon as possible."
A Stansted Airport spokesman said all of its departing flights were subject to delays of between 30 minutes and two hours, while Gatwick Airport said 20% of its departures had been delayed, with passengers warned they could wait for "a couple of hours".
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) said the issue stemmed from it control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire.
A spokesman said: "Due to a technical problem at Swanwick, we are currently experiencing some difficulty switching from night-time to daytime operation.
"This may result in some delays, for which we apologise.
"Engineers are working to rectify the problem as soon as possible."
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