Britain’s National Air Traffic Services, a company that provides most of the country’s air traffic control services, said on Tuesday that there was an issue with one of its flight management computer systems. Its engineers eventually resolved the glitch, but passengers were warned that the widespread cancellations and delays would have knock-on effects.
“This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover,” NATS, which has faced criticism from airlines over several high-profile disruptions in recent years.
Flightradar24, an aviation tracking firm, said 1,300 flights were canceled across Britain on Tuesday, including flights at Heathrow Airport and Gatwick Airport, both serving London. Flights at airports in Edinburgh and Manchester were also disrupted. Tens of thousands of travelers were affected, including many who were forced to wait inside aircraft during the air traffic control disruption.
“Large events like Tuesday’s can have effects days beyond the initial disruption as aircraft, crews, and passengers are out of place and schedules need to be reconfigured,” said Ian Petchenik, a Flightradar24 spokesman. “We expect Wednesday to have a significant number of cancellations and the rest of the week to see smaller effects as airlines normalize their schedules.”
