A technical glitch at an air traffic control centre in Hampshire caused over 150 flight cancellations across the UK on Wednesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The issue, which occurred around 4pm, prevented any planes from taking off for approximately 20 minutes, creating significant delays during the busy summer period.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed a radar failure was to blame, which was resolved by switching to a backup system. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported at least 84 departures and 71 arrivals cancelled by 10pm. London Heathrow was the worst affected, with 46 flights grounded, followed by Gatwick and London City Airport.
Several flights were diverted to other European cities, including Paris, where an Italian couple was stranded on a runway for nearly three hours. Valentina Balsarin, 25, said she missed her connecting flight to New York. Another passenger, Gurminder Marwaha, was stuck on the tarmac at Heathrow for an hour before his flight eventually departed.
NATS stated that aircraft numbers in the London control area were limited to ensure safety. Some planes remained on the ground for up to four hours due to the backlog. Boris Redfern, a passenger on a delayed British Airways flight to Pisa, described waiting on the plane for over two hours with no clear information from air traffic control.
