LONDON: A radar-related technical issue in Britain’s air traffic control system disrupted flights for over four hours at major airports in London and elsewhere on Wednesday (Jul 30), though the issue was later resolved and departures were resuming.
“Our systems are fully operational and air traffic capacity is returning to normal,” NATS, the country’s air traffic control provider, said in a post on X.
“Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue.”
The outage, announced by NATS 20 minutes earlier, included Heathrow Airport, Britain’s largest and Europe’s busiest.
In a later update to Reuters, a NATS spokesperson said it was a radar-related issue, “which was resolved by quickly switching to the back up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety.”
“Flights at Heathrow have resumed following a technical issue at the NATS Swanwick air traffic control centre. We are advising passengers to check with their airline before travelling,” an airport spokesperson said.
Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport also said operations were resuming.
London City Airport had earlier also reported disruption. It was not clear exactly how long the outage had lasted.
