UK Air Traffic Chaos: 425 Flights Cancelled Due To ATC Failure; London, Manchester Airports Worst Hit

A technical failure in the UK's air traffic control system disrupted flights across the country, with 425 cancellations recorded to and from UK airports as of 9:30 pm IST, as airlines scrambled to adjust their schedules.

London and Manchester airports were among the worst affected, with major carriers cancelling hundreds of flights. EasyJet cancelled 137 flights, British Airways 111, KLM 26, Eurowings 22 and Ryanair 21, according to the latest figures.

The disruption was caused by an issue in the flight processing system of NATS, the UK's air navigation services provider. 

ALSO READ: Dubai Airport Traffic Takes 31% Hit As Iran War Disrupts Travel

NATS in a series of posts on X said it has implemented a fix and that its flight system is beginning to recover.

"We are continuing to work closely with our airline and airport customers on recovery. We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system. Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise."

NATS added that flights are still departing and UK airspace remains open, but warned that restoring normal operations would take time.

"Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline," NATS said in a post on X, adding that further updates would be issued through its website and social media channels.

ALSO READ: Domestic Air Traffic Falls Nearly 5% In July; IndiGo Retains Dominance

The air traffic control provider also apologised for the disruption, urging passengers to continue checking directly with their airlines for the latest flight information.

Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.