UK airport delays have affected passengers across parts of the country after a new technical problem at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) disrupted flights using airspace controlled from its Prestwick centre in Scotland.
Airlines warned passengers to expect disruption on Monday, September 21, after Nats confirmed it was investigating the latest technical issue. The problem comes less than two weeks after a separate “software defect” caused widespread disruption and affected more than 2,000 flights across the UK.
Nats said engineers were working at its Prestwick centre to identify and resolve the latest problem, while air traffic regulations had been introduced to manage demand and maintain safety.
“We are investigating a technical issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland. To maintain safety, air traffic regulations have been applied to manage traffic demand,” Nats said.
The organisation added: “Engineers are on site investigating and working to resolve the issue. The issue is unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier this month.”
Nats apologised to passengers affected by the disruption and advised travellers to contact their airlines for the latest information about individual flights.
Several UK airports affected by latest disruption
The latest UK airport delays have affected flights at several airports, particularly those serving Scotland and northern parts of England.
Manchester Airport, Belfast City Airport, Belfast International Airport, Glasgow Airport and Aberdeen Airport were among airports connected with disruption from the latest air traffic control problems.
Nats said airports south of Manchester were broadly unaffected by the technical issue. However, flights travelling north and departures from Scottish airports were subject to delays.
The impact has also extended to some flights departing from airports in southern England when their routes enter airspace controlled by the Prestwick centre.
London airports monitor disruption
London City Airport confirmed that some disruption was being experienced because of the Nats problem.
“We are experiencing some disruption due to an issue at NATS Prestwick,” a spokesperson said.
The airport added that it was “monitoring the situation closely” while Nats worked to resolve the problem.
London Stansted said it was operating normally, although a small number of departing flights could potentially be delayed.
The airport said the affected flights were those travelling into airspace controlled by Prestwick, including some services heading towards Scotland, while other flights remained unaffected.
London Gatwick also said it was operating normally but warned that a small number of flights could face delays because of the continuing technical problem.
“Passengers should contact their airline for the latest updates,” Gatwick said.
Airlines warn passengers about flight disruption
Airlines operating flights involving UK and Irish airports also issued warnings to passengers following the latest air traffic control outage.
Ryanair said it had been informed of an equipment failure affecting airspace over Scotland and northern England.
“We have been advised of a NATS Air Traffic Control equipment failure today affecting the airspace above Scotland/Northern England,” Ryanair said.
The airline warned that delays were expected on some flights travelling to and from the UK and Ireland.
It also advised passengers travelling on Monday to check the Ryanair app for the latest information and said affected customers would be notified.
British Airways expresses disappointment
British Airways also warned passengers about possible disruption following the Nats technical failure.
“Yet another technical fault with NATS means some of our customers are likely to experience disruption to their travel plans today,” the airline said.
British Airways described the situation as “disappointing” while stressing that the technical problem was outside its control.
The airline said it was working to minimise the effect on passengers and would continue providing customers with updates about their journeys.
EasyJet questions resilience of Nats systems
The latest incident has also prompted questions from airlines about the resilience of the UK’s air traffic control infrastructure.
EasyJet said the new disruption was particularly concerning because it followed another significant Nats problem earlier in the month.
The airline said the latest failure “calls into question the resilience of Nats’ systems” after two separate air traffic control problems occurred within one month.
“A Nats air traffic control system failure in its Prestwick centre is causing delays to flights with some unable to operate,” EasyJet said.
The airline called for action to prevent repeated failures and advised passengers due to travel on Monday to check its flight tracker before going to the airport.
“We will do all we can minimise the impact of this for our customers and advise anyone due to fly today to check our flight tracker for the latest information,” EasyJet said.
Latest failure follows major September disruption
The new UK flight disruption comes less than two weeks after a separate Nats technical problem caused widespread travel chaos across the country.
That earlier incident was traced to a “software defect” and disrupted more than 2,000 flights, affecting passengers at airports in different parts of the UK.
Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe previously apologised for the disruption while saying that passenger safety had not been compromised during the earlier incident.
The latest problem is being treated separately by Nats, which specifically said the Prestwick issue was unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier in September.
The distinction is significant because Monday’s disruption has occurred while airlines and passengers are still dealing with the effects and scrutiny surrounding the previous failure.
What passengers should do
Passengers travelling from affected airports have been advised to check directly with their airlines for the most recent information before travelling.
Flight schedules can change as air traffic restrictions are introduced or removed, meaning passengers should rely on their airline’s latest updates rather than earlier departure information.
Travellers connecting through Scotland or northern England may also need to check whether their route passes through airspace controlled by the Prestwick centre.
Passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled should contact their airline regarding available options, including rebooking and other applicable arrangements.
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The Independent reported the latest developments as Nats engineers worked to resolve the technical issue and airlines continued monitoring its impact.
Nats continues investigation into Prestwick issue
The immediate priority remains identifying the cause of the latest technical problem and restoring normal air traffic operations.
Nats said engineers were already working at the Prestwick centre, while temporary traffic-management measures were being used to maintain safe levels of air traffic.
The organisation has not indicated that the latest incident is connected to the earlier software defect, explicitly stating that the two technical problems are unrelated.
For passengers, however, the immediate concern remains whether their flights will depart and arrive as scheduled.
Airlines are therefore continuing to advise travellers to monitor flight information closely as engineers investigate the failure and work towards restoring normal operations.
