Huge restrictions on British airspace – Switzerland was also affected
A “technical problem” affected British air traffic control systems. Air travelers should continue to expect turbulence on Tuesday.
Travelers were stranded on the runway for hours, flights were canceled – on the summer bank holiday ever, one of the busiest travel days of the year, British airspace suffered an air traffic control failure. According to the British aviation authority NATS, the problem was resolved after a few hours. Work is now underway to “deal with affected flights as efficiently as possible”.
Obviously, air travelers to and from Great Britain should continue to expect disruptions on Tuesday. The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) said Monday evening that it will take “some time” before air traffic returns to normal. Heathrow, Great Britain’s largest airport, warned Tuesday evening on social network X, formerly Twitter, that flight schedules remained “extremely disordered”. Air travelers should contact their airline before traveling to the airport.
The second largest airport, London Gatwick, said it planned to offer a “normal flight schedule”. However, travelers should check with their airline about the status of their flight before arriving at the airport
The reason for the failure remains unclear
According to Nats, there were “technical problems”. It has “imposed restrictions on the flow of traffic to ensure safety,” according to the authority. But the reason for the failure remained open. According to information from the newspaper “The Independent”, the main control system of the NATS has failed.
And Gatwick airport, south of London, stressed that there were “possible” delays and cancellations of flights. A spokesperson for low-cost carrier Jet2.com told Sky News that the technical glitch in the UK’s national air traffic services had affected all airlines.
Liverpool Airport said baggage would be loaded into the machines, but some departures were delayed. Britain’s largest airport, London Heathrow, has asked passengers to find out the current situation from their airline. As a result of the problems in Great Britain, there were also delays in Ireland.
Scottish airline Loganair had earlier announced on Twitter successor X that its nationwide air traffic control programs had failed. On social networks, some passengers to Great Britain have reported delays of up to an hour and cancellations of their flights.
“A lot of people will get up where they don’t want to be.”
British Airways announced that it had to adjust its flight schedule. Low-cost carrier Ryanair said several flights were delayed or canceled due to the disruption.
More than a million people were expected to enter or exit the UK today. According to travel journalist Lisa Minot, the problem “could not have come at a worse time” – and she suspects the disruption to the trip plan could last for days. “The fact that it took this long means that it will definitely affect flights until next week” – affecting flights around the world.
Travel journalist Simon Calder told BBC News that today is one of the busiest days of the year with many people returning from long weekend trips abroad, and that London Gatwick is one of the busiest airports in the world. He fears that “a lot of people will wake up on Tuesday where they don’t want to be.” Some passengers bound for Great Britain have reported delays on social networks. Eurostar is adding an additional train journey to London. It is scheduled to depart at 8:43 p.m. from Paris.
The effects of failure cannot yet be fully predicted. However, a flight from Zurich to London was already affected and cancelled.
nag/sda
Found an error? Report now.
“Alcohol buff. Troublemaker. Introvert. Student. Social media lover. Web ninja. Bacon fan. Reader.”
More Stories
New England T20 coach Kieron Pollard: ‘Cricket is a business’
What is GDP, how is it measured, and what is its importance?
American fast food chains Taco Bell and Krispy Kreme are coming to Germany