Flights are slowly resuming across airports in the United Kingdom after a technical malfunction earlier forced several aircraft to be grounded or diverted, according to the country’s air traffic control operator.
Engineers have since restored the affected system.
The disruption began on Wednesday when a fault at a critical air traffic control facility caused delays and diversions nationwide.
The issue was traced to the National Air Traffic Service centre in Swanwick, located southwest of London.
To ensure safety, NATS imposed restrictions on air traffic volumes, leading to significant delays across the network.
While engineers swiftly identified and repaired the fault, airlines and airports have warned that normal schedules may take some time to resume, with aircraft and crew now displaced.
Gatwick Airport, one of the capital’s busiest aviation hubs, confirmed that departures across the UK were impacted.
Inbound flights were placed in holding patterns or diverted to other airports.
Stansted Airport also reported disruption to “many departures and arrivals,” advising passengers to check with their airlines for real-time updates.
Shortly after the issue was addressed, NATS confirmed that engineers had resolved the problem and operations were returning to standard capacity.
“I am aware of a technical issue which impacted NATS’ operations causing travel disruption this afternoon,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. “I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.”
The incident is the latest in a series of technical problems associated with the NATS Swanwick facility, which has experienced multiple software-related failures since it opened in 2002. In one notable case in August 2023, a system error forced controllers to handle flight plans manually, resulting in delays and cancellations that disrupted travel for approximately 700,000 passengers during the peak holiday season.
