UK airports face fresh cancellations after air traffic control glitch

A total of 279 flights were cancelled at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Wednesday morning as the aviation industry continued to deal with the aftermath of a technical failure in Britain’s air traffic control system a day earlier, The Independent reports.

The failure affected the flight data processing system operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and resulted in about 1,300 flight cancellations at airports across the United Kingdom on Tuesday. Although NATS resolved the technical problem, airlines continued to work through the resulting backlog, leading to further delays and cancellations.

Heathrow said flights were operating, but warned that disruption could continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crews to restore their schedules. Passengers were advised to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.

NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe was due to meet Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Wednesday to discuss the cause of the failure and its impact.

NATS said the fault occurred in its flight data processing system. The company said the system had been restored, but warned that clearing the resulting backlog would take time.

By Tamilla Hasanova