Flights Resume in London After Technical Failure in Air Traffic Control
Thousands of passengers at major airports in London and other UK cities faced severe chaos after a technical failure disrupted the air traffic control system on Wednesday afternoon, just as the summer school holidays began. The outage, attributed to a radar malfunction, forced the closure of London’s airspace for over an hour.
Thousands of passengers at major airports in London and other UK cities are facing chaos after a technical glitch.
What Exactly Happened?
A source from the UK Department for Transport reported that the radar failure lasted 20 minutes, but the repercussions extended far beyond. Although the issue was resolved, flights could not resume normally immediately.
The air traffic control provider, NATS, announced at 16:13 (local time) that it had successfully restored the system and was in the process of resuming regular operations. However, delays persisted.
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Massive Delays and Diversions
According to data from Cirium, a specialized aeronautical analytics firm, 3,080 departures were scheduled from UK airports today, representing over 577,000 seats. The fallout from the failure resulted in hundreds of delayed flights, with estimated wait times of up to three hours, at least until 21:00.
Several aircraft bound for the UK were forced into holding patterns or diverted to other airports, worsening the situation for travelers.
Root of the Problem
The failure originated at NATS’ control center in Swanwick, Hampshire. In an earlier statement, the organization apologized for the inconvenience and stated that its engineers were working intensively to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
“Our engineers are working hard to fix the problem, and we are collaborating closely with airlines to minimize disruption,” the company said. They also urged passengers to check with their respective airlines for flight status updates.
A Recurring Issue
This is not the first time a technical incident has crippled the UK’s air traffic system. On August 28, 2023, a technical error in flight plan processing by NATS led to nationwide flight suspensions. That day, over 700,000 people were affected, and the economic impact was estimated at £100 million, accounting for losses to airlines, airports, and passengers.
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