UK Air Traffic Control System Breaks Down, Hit By 'Technical Issue'

NATS, the UK's air navigation service provider, is an essential entity responsible for managing and controlling the country's airspace. It reported a break down on Monday leading to chaos for air passengers.

Representative Photo | Numerous passengers took to social media to share their experiences of being stranded on planes, grounded on runways, awaiting take-off.

Source : Getty Images

The United Kingdom is grappling with a "technical issue" in its air traffic control systems, leading airlines to caution passengers about potential flight delays. The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) of the UK acknowledged "technical issues" affecting its air traffic control systems. To ensure safety, the organisation implemented traffic flow restrictions. "We are currently experiencing a technical issue and have applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and fix the fault," stated a spokesperson, quoted by news agency Reuters.

Earlier, Scottish airline Loganair disclosed on the social media platform X that a comprehensive network failure had affected the UK's air traffic control computer systems. The airline cautioned that international flights might encounter delays.

"There has been a network-wide failure of UK air traffic control computer systems this morning. Although we are hopeful of being able to operate most intra-Scotland flights on the basis of local coordination and with a minimum of disruption, north-south and international flights maybe subject to delays. If you are flying with us today, please check our website for the latest information about your flight before setting off for the airport," a post by the airline read. 

maybe subject to delays. If you are flying with us today, please check our website for the latest information about your flight before setting off for the airport.

— Loganair (@FlyLoganair) August 28, 2023

Numerous passengers took to social media to share their experiences of being stranded on planes, grounded on runways, awaiting take-off. This incident coincided with a busy travel day due to the UK's public holiday on Monday.

Reuters reported a witness, who found themselves held on the tarmac at Budapest, as stating that their pilot conveyed that a widespread computer malfunction had led to the closure of all airspace in the UK. Passengers were informed that they could anticipate delays of 8 to 12 hours.

NATS, the UK's air navigation service provider, is an essential entity responsible for managing and controlling the country's airspace, ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel operations.

According to the Daily Mail UK, hundreds of thousands of passengers reported 'absolute chaos' today after the UK's air traffic control system broke down. The Daily Mail report mentioned travel expert Simon Calder as saying that travellers now faced 'absolute chaos' with widespread delays and cancellations. 

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