Passengers experience severe delays after technical fault in UK air traffic control
Passengers have been told to expect delays of up to 12 hours after air traffic controllers across the UK experienced a technical fault.
In an updated statement this afternoon, the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said the “technical issue” affecting its flight planning system had been “identified and remedied”, but travellers continued to face disruption.
Brits stuck abroad as warnings disruption could last into the week – live updates
“We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible,” NATS said.
“Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system’s performance as we return to normal operations.
“The flight planning issue affected the system’s ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions.
“Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight.”
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NATS did not give an estimate of how long it would take to fix the problem, or what had caused it.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the “technical issue” affecting the National Air Traffic Services “has now been resolved”.
On a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said that he and aviation minister Charlotte Vere were “continuing to work with NATS to help them manage affected flights and support passengers”.
“All passengers should still contact their airline for specific flight information.”
European air traffic authority Eurocontrol and Irish air traffic controllers AirNav Ireland have both warned of significant delays across Europe.
The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to hold an urgent COBRA meeting, while the Labour‘s shadow transport secretary said the fault was “extremely concerning”.
Some 3,049 flights were due to depart from UK airports today and another 3,054 flights were scheduled to arrive – with around one million passengers on board.
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‘Air traffic failure will be absolute chaos’
Travellers have been told to expect severe delays of up to 12 hours.
BBC presenter Gabby Logan said she had been caught up by the issue.
She posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “On a plane on the runway at Budapest airport. After almost three weeks away from home I am hours from hugging my family.
“And have just been told UK airspace is shut. We could be here for 12 hours. So we sit on the plane and wait.”
The departures board at Bristol Airport showing delayed flights Pic: Simon West
Sky’s science correspondent Thomas Moore is one of the passengers stuck on a British Airways flight at Heathrow after flying back from San Francisco overnight.
Speaking from the plane, he said the aircraft actually landed ahead of the schedule – but since then they have been stuck on the tarmac.
“The pilots told us that we are in a queue for a gate because all the aircraft giving priority to land can’t get away, so everything is stacking up now,” he said.
The departures board in Barcelona airport showing flights to the UK cancelled or delayed Pic: Brad Sutton
“We have an update saying that they’re trying to find space for all the aircraft that are coming in and having to wait, having to queue, because this is going to have a big impact.
“There are planes taking off, but what we are being told is that various aspects of computerised systems used by air traffic control aren’t talking to each to other, so everything is having to be done manually.
“That means things are taking a lot longer than they would be.
“Normally this would be one of the busiest runways in the world, but it is looking very, very quiet.”
Passengers on a flight from Lanzarote to Newcastle who have been delayed by two hours so far
Sky News producer Georgia Ziebart, who is stuck on a plane in Palma, Majorca that is set for London Gatwick, said passengers have been told all planes that were in the air at the time the systems went down have been diverted to other countries.
She said: “We’re on the tarmac in Palma, Majorca – we got on the plane an hour ago and shortly after we got on the plane, the pilot made an announcement to say it doesn’t look like we’ll be leaving for a while because there are issues with air traffic control across the whole of the UK.
“We’ve been sat on the plane now for about an hour, still haven’t moved, still haven’t had much information. But staff just said there’s no point in us moving because we can’t actually go anywhere.
“There are people who have been sleeping at the airport since yesterday so it’s completely at capacity inside as well.
“There’s a lot of children on board here, a lot of babies. It’s a three-hour flight. I haven’t got any food. They’ve come around and offered water to everyone but that’s it at the moment.”
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‘We’ve been stuck on a runway for an hour’
Airports and airlines have warned customers that they may experience delays and urged those travelling today to check their flight details.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus were the first airlines to confirm several flight cancellations to and from Dublin and Cork airports.
A view of NATS air traffic control at London City Airport
British Airways said it was “working closely with NATS to understand the impact of a technical issue that is affecting UK airspace, and will keep our customers up to date with the latest information”.
The Eurostar said it would add an extra train from Paris to London at 8.43pm this evening after the airline disruption.
Prosecutors are considering whether to bring further criminal charges against Lucy Letby over the deaths of babies at two hospitals where she worked
The Crown Prosecution Service said it had received “a full file of evidence from Cheshire Constabulary asking us to consider further allegations in relation to deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital”.
“We will now carefully consider the evidence to determine whether any further criminal charges should be brought,” it added.
“As always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test.”
Letby, 35, was found guilty of murdering seven children and attempting to murder seven more between June 2015 and June 2016 while working in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital and is currently serving 15 whole-life orders.
Letby worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital
She is understood to have carried out two work placements at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she trained as a student, between October and December 2012, and January and February 2015.
Police said in December that Letby was interviewed in prison as part of an investigation into more baby deaths and non-fatal collapses.
A Cheshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Cheshire Constabulary has submitted a full file of evidence to the CPS for charging advice regarding the ongoing investigation into deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neo-natal units of both the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital as part of Operation Hummingbird.”
Detectives previously said the investigation was looking into the full period of time that Letby worked as a nurse, covering the period from 2012 to 2016 and including a review of 4,000 admissions of babies.
Letby’s lawyer Mark McDonald said: “The evidence of the innocence of Lucy Letby is overwhelming,” adding: “We will cross every bridge when we get to it but if Lucy is charged I know we have a whole army of internationally renowned medical experts who will totally undermine the prosecution’s unfounded allegations.”
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Three managers at the hospital where Lucy Letby worked have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that three managers at the Countess of Chester hospital had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in a separate investigation.
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Police said the suspects, who occupied senior positions at the hospital between 2015 and 2016, have all been bailed pending further inquiries.
There is also an investigation into corporate manslaughter at the hospital, which began in October 2023.
A public inquiry has also been examining the hospital’s response to concerns raised about Letby before her arrest.
In May, it was announced the inquiry’s final report into how the former nurse was able to commit her crimes will now be published early next year.
Earlier this year, Letby’s lawyers called for the suspension of the inquiry, claiming there was “overwhelming and compelling evidence” that her convictions were unsafe.
In February, an international panel of neonatologists and paediatric specialists told reporters that poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the collapses and deaths.
Their evidence has been passed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, and Letby’s legal team hopes her case will be referred back to the Court of Appeal.
A power outage that shut Heathrow Airport earlier this year, causing travel chaos for more than 270,000 passengers, was caused by a “catastrophic failure” of equipment in a nearby substation, according to a new report.
Experts say the fire at the North Hyde Substation, which supplies electricity to Heathrow, started following the failure of a high-voltage electrical insulator known as a bushing, before spreading.
The failure was “most likely” caused by moisture entering the equipment, according to the report.
Two chances were also missed that could have prevented the failure, experts found, the first in 2018 when a higher-than-expected level of moisture was found in oil samples.
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Moment Heathrow substation ignites
Such a reading meant “an imminent fault and that the bushing should be replaced”, according to guidance by the National Grid Electricity Transmission.
However, the report by National Energy System Operator (NESO) said the appropriate responses to such a serious issue were “not actioned”, including in 2022 when basic maintenance was postponed.
“The issue therefore went unaddressed,” the report added.
The design and configuration of the airport’s internal power network meant the loss of just one of its three supply points would “result in the loss of power to operationally critical systems, leading to a suspension of operations for a significant period”, the report added.
Heathrow – which is Europe’s biggest airport – closed for around 16 hours on 21 March following the fire, before reopening at about 6pm.
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Heathrow bosses were ‘warned about substation’
Around 1,300 flights were cancelled and more than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted.
Tens of millions of pounds were lost, thousands of passengers were stranded, and questions were raised about the resilience of the UK’s infrastructure.
More than 71,000 domestic and commercial customers lost power as a result of the fire and the resulting power outage, the report said.
NEOS chief executive, Fintan Slye, said there “wasn’t the control within their [National Grid’s] asset management systems that identified that this [elevated moisture levels] got missed.
“They identified a fault, [but] for some reason the transformer didn’t immediately get pulled out of service and get repaired.
“There was no control within the system that looked back and said ‘oh, hang on a second, you forgot to do this thing over here’.”
Sky’s science and technology editor, Tom Clarke, pointed to the age of the substation’s equipment, saying “some of these things are getting really very old now, coming to the end of their natural lives, and this is an illustration of what can happen if they are not really well maintained”.
The report also highlights a lack of joined-up thinking, he said, as “grid operators don’t know who’s critical national infrastructure on the network, and they don’t have priority”.
Responding to the report’s findings, a Heathrow spokesperson said: “A combination of outdated regulation, inadequate safety mechanisms, and National Grid’s failure to maintain its infrastructure led to this catastrophic power outage.
“We expect National Grid to be carefully considering what steps they can take to ensure this isn’t repeated.
“Our own Review, led by former Cabinet Minister Ruth Kelly, identified key areas for improvement and work is already underway to implement all 28 recommendations.”
In May, Ms Kelly’s investigation revealed that the airport’s chief executive couldn’t be contacted as the crisis unfolded because his phone was on silent.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who commissioned the NESO report, called it “deeply concerning”, because “known risks were not addressed by the National Grid Electricity Transmission”.
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Mr Miliband said energy regulator Ofgem, which opened an investigation on Wednesday after the report was published, is investigating “possible licence breaches relating to the development and maintenance of its electricity system at North Hyde.
“There are wider lessons to be learned from this incident. My department, working across government, will urgently consider the findings and recommendations set out by NESO and publish a response to the report in due course.”
The Metropolitan Police previously confirmed on 25 March that officers had “found no evidence to suggest that the incident was suspicious in nature”.
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