Disruption in UK air traffic control expected to continue for ‘several days.’

Travelers have been advised that the repercussions of the technical issue that affected the UK’s air traffic control system on Monday will endure for an extended period of time.

Travelers have received a cautionary notice regarding the prolonged upheaval stemming from a recent failure in the UK’s air traffic control system earlier this week. Mark Harper, the UK’s Transport Secretary, acknowledged during an interview on Tuesday that the “technical issue,” which persisted for several hours, had adversely affected numerous passengers and would persist for “several days.”

Harper informed the BBC, “Numerous flights were canceled, and it will take some days to reaccommodate affected passengers.”

This development unfolded as passengers traveling to and from the UK encountered “significant delays” and flight cancellations due to a “network-wide failure” in Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight planning system. The incident occurred on the final day of a summer public holiday weekend in the UK, impacting many vacationers.

While NATS confirmed in a statement that the glitch had been “identified and resolved,” the disruption caused by the failure endures. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, this led to the cancellation of at least 790 departures and 785 flight arrivals at British airports.

Rosa Palladino, a traveler who had plans to fly to Naples, Italy on Monday, shared her experience with CNN Travel. She recounted that she was en route to Gatwick Airport when she received news that her easyJet flight was facing delays.

Upon reaching the airport and awaiting updates, Palladino, a UK resident, was eventually informed that her flight had been canceled. Fortunately, she managed to secure a seat on another flight set to depart on Tuesday and had accommodation for the overnight stay. She noted that some of her fellow passengers had made the decision to stay at the airport.

Expressing her gratitude, Palladino remarked, “I feel very fortunate.”

In the meantime, Lee Vanstone, a traveler residing in the UK, shared a photo of fellow passengers waiting at Pisa Airport on Monday. He posted this on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) after his flight experienced delays and was subsequently canceled.

In his tweet, he mentioned, “There are no flights for days. We’ve been searching from various locations. We are stranded here but found somewhere to sleep tonight.”

Numerous UK airports and airlines have issued statements to inform passengers about potential delays stemming from the ripple effects of the technical issue.

A statement from London’s Heathrow Airport on Tuesday reads, “Due to yesterday’s technical issues suffered by UK Air Traffic Control, there may be some ongoing disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations.”

Gatwick, the UK’s second-busiest airport, also stated on Tuesday that it “plans to operate a normal schedule,” but advised passengers to “check the status of their flight with the airline before traveling to the airport.”

Numerous airlines, including easyJet and British Airways, are urging passengers traveling to or from the UK to verify the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

NATS (National Air Traffic Services) issued a statement on its website on Monday, stating, “We have identified and resolved the technical issue affecting our flight planning system this morning. We are now collaborating closely with airlines and airports to efficiently manage the impacted flights.”

The statement further emphasized their commitment to ensuring the safety of all UK flights and offered apologies for the disruption caused. It advised passengers to reach out to their respective airlines for information regarding how this situation might affect their flights.