A technical fault in the United Kingdom’s air traffic control system caused the cancellation of about 2,000 flights on Tuesday and continues to cause disruptions at British airports on Wednesday. Although the problem has already been resolved, airlines are still facing difficulties in normalizing operations.
The problem was identified in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) system, responsible for controlling Britain’s air traffic. To date, it has not been disclosed what caused the fault.
On Tuesday, approximately 2,000 flights were canceled at airports across the country. By Wednesday morning, another 300 had been suspended, mainly at Heathrow and Gatwick, the two largest airports in London.
The expectation is that the ripple effects of the interruption will still be felt throughout the day. Since several aircraft that were supposed to arrive in the United Kingdom on Tuesday did not complete their journeys, some aircraft and crews were left out of position to operate the scheduled flights on Wednesday.
Ryanair reported that about 65,000 passengers had flights delayed on Tuesday. EasyJet, for its part, canceled about 200 operations.
The episode also increased pressure on the leadership of NATS. Airlines have criticized the recurrence of problems in Britain’s air traffic control system and have called for changes in the operator’s management.
The head of the agency apologized for the disruptions, but ruled out the possibility of resigning from the post.
