National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has apologised for a technical problem that’s affecting departures from a number of UK airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick.
Heathrow departures were paused around lunchtime, then resumed, although passengers have faced further ‘stop-start disruption’ this afternoon, the BBC News reports.
Gatwick, Manchester, East Midlands, Birmingham, Bristol, Stansted, London City, Aberdeen and Edinburgh are among the airports facing disruptions, according to Flightradar24.
Incoming flights have been landing as normal.
Passengers have been advised to contact their airline to check the status of their flight.
NATS has issued a statement to say: “We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system. Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.
“We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise. Flights are still departing and airspace is open, but recovery will take some time. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.
“Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline. We will provide further updates as soon as we have confirmed information, at www.nats.aero and on X at @NATS.”
See also: Agents scramble to help clients as NATS disruption enters second day
