UK passengers are facing more delays today because of a technical issue at the National Air Traffic Service (NATS)’s Prestwick control centre.
NATS has imposed traffic restrictions while engineers investigate the problem, affecting flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Manchester, Belfast City, Belfast International, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports have all reported disruption this morning.
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “We are experiencing some delays due to the NATS issue at Prestwick Centre. We are monitoring the situation closely and are working with NATS as they work to resolve the issue.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair said it had been notified of a NATS ‘equipment failure’ affecting airspace above Scotland and northern England.
NATS said airports south of Manchester were ‘broadly unaffected’, but warned that flights heading north and those departing Scottish airports could face delays today (21 September).
However, London City Airport said: “We are experiencing some disruption due to an issue at @NATS Prestwick. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with NATS as they resolve the issue.
“If you’re travelling today, please check with your airline for the latest information on your flight.”
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) also said flights were disrupted across all of the airports it operates, including Dundee, Inverness, Islay and Benbecula.
Manchester Airports Group says there have been delays of up to an hour on some flights at Manchester and a few delays at East Midlands, although there have so far been no cancellations.
MAG told passengers to check with airlines before they travel.
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) also reported disruption, advising passengers to ‘check with their airline for the latest flight information’.
A spokesperson added: “The air traffic control service, NATS, is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting flights at airports across the UK, including at LBA.
“LBA is working alongside its airline partners to ensure customers are on the move as soon as possible.”
At least 24 flights have been grounded as a result of the disruption, including four at Manchester Airport, four at Belfast International, three at Edinburgh and four at George Best Belfast City Airport, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. The company tags flights as ‘no flies’ if they are delayed for more than three hours.
The latest disruption comes less than two weeks after a separate NATS software defect caused widespread disruption, affecting more than 2,000 flights.
NATS said the latest technical issue is unrelated to the earlier incident.
A statement from NATS said: “We are investigating a technical issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland. To maintain safety, air traffic regulations have been applied to manage traffic demand.
“Engineers are on site investigating and working to resolve the issue. The issue is unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier this month.
“We apologise for the disruption and any delays to passengers’ journeys. Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information on their flight.”
