The UK air traffic control system has been fixed after a technical problem caused widespread disruption to flights across the country.
According to Reuters, the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said that it had implemented a fix and that the UK air traffic control system was beginning to recover, and apologised to those who faced the flight delays.
It later said that the system was operating normally and that efforts were underway to clear the backlog of flights.
The UK air traffic control problem affected departing flights at major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and Birmingham.
The following airports will temporarily pause incoming flights at the times listed below:
- London Gatwick Airport: Arrivals paused until 22:00 UTC
- London Stansted Airport: Arrivals paused until 22:00 UTC, with restrictions on recovery continuing until 05:00 UTC
- Heathrow Airport: Arrivals paused until 03:00 UTC
Heathrow Airport issued an advisory saying that the remaining flights for September 8 have been suspended due to the technical fault at NATS.
It further said in its post on X that passengers are advised to coordinate with their respective airlines, as departures have resumed but the delays still continue.
As per Flightradar24, more than 300 flights were cancelled or delayed, with the disruption also affecting some services in other parts of Europe.
Airlines including British Airways, EasyJet, KLM and Lufthansa were among those affected.
EasyJet apologised to the passengers and said that some flights were unable to operate and warned of delays across Europe.
The UK air traffic control system experienced a technical fault in its flight-processing system. NATS said the problem had been resolved but warned that it would take time for normal flight schedules to resume because of the backlog.
Passengers have been advised to check with their airlines for the latest information before travelling.
The disruption comes as Pakistan International Airlines is preparing to operate its Islamabad-Manchester service.
The airline had announced plans to resume regular flights to the UK after a five-year gap, with the first service scheduled from Islamabad to Manchester.
