A major air traffic control system failure disrupted air travel across Britain on Tuesday, with more than 1,000 flights cancelled and thousands of passengers left stranded for hours at airports and onboard aircraft.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, the disruption affected at least 15 airports across the United Kingdom, with delays continuing even after the technical issue was resolved.
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Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it had fixed a problem with its flight-processing system by Tuesday evening. However, the failure triggered a major backlog, forcing airlines and airports to work through hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights.
At London Gatwick, passenger Josie Donoghue said she spent three hours on a plane before her Ryanair flight to Ireland was eventually cancelled. She described the situation at the airport as chaotic, comparing the experience to trying to escape the notorious Alcatraz prison.
London Heathrow also faced significant disruption. While departures resumed, the airport suspended arrivals for the remainder of the night and warned passengers to expect further delays.
Passengers on a British Airways flight scheduled to travel to Baltimore were forced to leave the aircraft after spending four hours on the ground at Heathrow. During the delay, cabin crew served food and passengers watched movies or walked around the aircraft.
The disruption continued after passengers disembarked, with major congestion reported in the baggage reclaim area. Some travellers said they were unable to get assistance and were advised to submit claims for their luggage.
British Airways said it had been forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights, while Ryanair reported that more than 65,000 passengers were affected and over 50 scheduled flights were cancelled.
British Airways said the scale of the disruption would have a significant knock-on effect, adding that aircraft and crew had been left out of position as a result of the incident.
Passengers also took to social media to express frustration over lengthy delays and what they described as inadequate communication from airlines.
Airports affected included London Stansted and London City, along with Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick and several airports in Scotland. Travellers were advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight information.
Budget carrier EasyJet said some of its flights were unable to operate, with the system failure causing delays to services across Europe.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
