Hundreds of additional flights were cancelled on Wednesday morning as travellers faced a second day of disruption after a major technical failure brought the UK’s air traffic control network to a halt.
About 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday after a fault affected NATS, the organisation responsible for providing air traffic control services at 15 airports nationwide.
The knock-on impact has carried into Wednesday, with airlines warning of more delays and cancellations while they work to restore schedules, move aircraft back into position and ensure crews are in the right locations.
By 6am on Wednesday, Heathrow had already logged 246 cancellations, according to FlightRadar24, while Gatwick had recorded 33 cancelled flights.
Passengers due to travel through Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted have been urged to check the latest status of their flights before leaving for the airport, with the disruption expected to take some time to ease.
Heathrow Airport said on Wednesday morning that flights were running, but cautioned that passengers could still face problems throughout the day.
‘Following yesterday’s NATS technical issue, flights are operating today, but some disruption may continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew,’ it said.
‘Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport and only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating.’
Images showed queues spilling out of terminals across the country after the chaos unfolded yesterday afternoon
British Airways planes are seen grounded at Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon following the technical issue
‘We apologise to those affected and have extra colleagues across our terminals to support passengers while we work with NATS and airline partners to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.’
Travel journalist Simon Calder warned that the knock-on effects could be particularly severe on Wednesday as aircraft and crews remain out of position following Tuesday’s cancellations.
He told Sky News: ‘There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn’t go out tonight.’
He said the knock-on effects were ‘going to be horrible’.
And Julian Bray air travel expert claimed: ‘The disruption to air traffic is likely to go on for a good three weeks. It was not just passenger services hit by the NATS Air Traffic computer meltdown but also crews and aircraft rendered inoperative as planes out of position, pilots out of hours as are cabin crew.
‘Air Cargo services also hit and many time critical shipments either ruined destroyed or delayed.
‘Sadly all this could happen again with the current legacy computer set up it’s insufficient to simply bolt on new front end parts onto an ancient legacy system.’
The disruption has already affected tens of thousands of holidaymakers and business travellers, with some passengers left trapped on aircraft for hours and others facing lengthy queues at terminals.
One passenger, Josie Donoghue, was forced to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway at Gatwick.
Ms Donoghue said: ‘Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there. We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out.
‘It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.’
Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted and that it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights.
British Airways said it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday, affecting ‘tens of thousands of customers’.
Hundreds more flights have been cancelled as passengers brace for a second day of travel chaos
National Air Traffic Service chief Martin Rolfe faced calls to resign on Tuesday after a technical issue sent the country’s airports into turmoil
The chaos has also reignited criticism of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe, with Ryanair calling for him to resign over what it described as repeated failures.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operating officer, said: ‘How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?
‘Over three years after Nats’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC (air traffic control) delays of up to eight hours today due a critical Nats ATC system failing.’
Mr Rolfe has defended his position, saying he ‘always accept(s) full responsibility’ for the failure.
He told Sky News: ‘I am the CEO of a piece of critical infrastructure, so it is my job to take responsibility for that.
‘What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today.
‘You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public.’
Wizz Air also criticised NATS after the latest incident, saying it was ‘extremely disappointed’ that another technical problem had caused widespread disruption.
The airline said: ‘A critical national infrastructure provider should not repeatedly bring the aviation system to a standstill. NATS is simply not fit for purpose in its current form.’
NATS said work was continuing to help airlines and airports recover from the disruption.
On Tuesday night, it said on X: ‘Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today’s disruption.
‘This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover.
‘We apologise again for the disruption caused. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight tonight or tomorrow.’
Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Heathrow after having their flights delayed or cancelled
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is due to speak to Mr Rolfe on Wednesday before addressing MPs in the Commons during the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill.
Shadow Transport Minister Greg Smith also criticised NATS, which is 49 per cent Government-owned.
He said: ‘Yet again passengers are stuck on the tarmac wondering why Britain cannot keep its own skies open. The Government and NATS must explain what has happened and how they will make sure resilience is improved.’
Luton Airport confirmed early on Wednesday that it was ‘open and operational’, but warned that some flights could still be affected.
The airport said: ‘Some flights may still be subject to disruption and passengers are advised to check their flight status directly before travelling to the airport.’
Passengers have been urged to check directly with their airline before travelling to the airport and only set off if their flight is confirmed to be operating.
Have you been affected? Email lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk
