Flights are gradually resuming at United Kingdom airports following a technical fault that earlier led to grounded and diverted aircraft on Wednesday, according to the air traffic control operator, which confirmed the system has since been restored by engineers.
Air travel across the UK faced widespread disruption on Wednesday after a technical fault at a key air traffic control centre caused delays, diversions, and flight groundings.
The issue, now resolved, originated from the National Air Traffic Service facility in Swanwick, located southwest of London.
The technical failure prompted NATS to restrict air traffic volumes to maintain safety, resulting in significant delays.
Although the fault was quickly identified and repaired, the impact on flight schedules continues, with airports warning that it may take time to restore normal operations due to aircraft and crew being out of position.
Gatwick Airport, one of London’s major hubs, reported that outbound services nationwide were affected.
Meanwhile, inbound flights faced holding patterns or were redirected to alternate destinations.
Stansted Airport also confirmed that “many departures and arrivals” were disrupted and urged travelers to consult their airlines for updates.
Shortly after the problem was detected, NATS announced that engineers had rectified the fault and efforts were underway to resume standard services.
“I am aware of a technical issue which impacted NATS’ operations causing travel disruption this afternoon,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. “I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.”
This latest incident adds to a history of technical troubles at the NATS Swanwick centre, which has experienced multiple software-related breakdowns since becoming operational in 2002.
One such episode in August 2023 forced air traffic controllers to process flight plans manually, resulting in delays and cancellations that affected around 700,000 travellers during the peak summer holiday season.
