Technical Issue Snarls UK Air Travel

29.08.2023 - 22:37 / travelpulse.com / London Heathrow / Donald Wood

Flights into and out of the United Kingdom were canceled or delayed on Monday after a technical issue snarled traveled for several hours before the problem was fixed.

According to NBC News, the UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) revealed that a technical issue resulted in its system’s ability to automatically process flight plans, forcing officials to restrict the flow of aircraft as it manually input flight plans.

Even with the technical glitch identified and remedied, airlines and airports have issued warnings for potential delays and cancellations.

Air Traffic Control system update at 15:15 UK time
---
We have just published an update on our website - please read it here:https://t.co/YJO7NyZKxs

“We have identified and remedied the technical issue affecting our flight planning system this morning,” a NATS spokesperson said. “We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible.”

“Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system’s performance as we return to normal operations,” the statement continued. 

Officials from Loganair called the issue “a network-wide failure of UK air traffic control computer systems,” while Irish air traffic control provider AirNav Ireland said the problem caused “significant delays for flights across Europe.”

A British Airways representative said its Monday flight schedule was “severely disrupted,” and a London Heathrow spokesperson said the airport was working with NATS to “minimize the impact on passengers.”

The United States has also dealt with delays and cancellations related to air traffic controllers (ATC) staff shortages. To combat the problem, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it had hired its goal of 1,500 ATCs this year.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter .