Disruption for UK travellers heading across the Atlantic has eased after a major air traffic control failure forced flights across the United States to be temporarily grounded.
FAA grounds all US flights
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stopped all flights nationwide on Friday (November 13), citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety" after communications problems affected regional air traffic control centres.
Although American airspace reopened later that evening following a four-hour shutdown, the disruption left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, with officials warning it could take time for services to return to normal. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, almost 10,000 flights were cancelled as a result of the incident.
Impact on UK airports
By Saturday morning (November 14), the knock-on effects in the UK appeared to be relatively limited, with some delays and cancellations reported on flights operated by US airlines. At Heathrow Airport, several departures to the States were showing as cancelled, including American Airlines' 9.55am service to Charlotte, North Carolina, its 11.50am flight to Dallas, Texas, and the 11.55am service to Los Angeles, California.
Tim Johnson, consumer director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, warned that passengers could still face some disruption despite flights getting back in the air. He said: "While US flights have resumed, there may be some follow-on disruption as airlines work to re-book affected passengers and get all services back to normal."
Airlines respond
He added: "Anyone due to travel on flights between the UK and USA should check with their airline for the latest information before heading to the airport. We know that UK airlines are doing all they can to minimise inconvenience and to make sure their customers are properly looked after."
British Airways confirmed its services were running as normal, after previously warning customers that some flights could be delayed or cancelled. A spokesperson said: "Whilst this matter was entirely outside of our control, we want to thank our customers for bearing with us, and our colleagues for supporting them and helping to minimise any disruption."
Wider effects and cause
Manchester Airport also said significant delays were not expected on Saturday, while the incident is understood to have had little impact on London Gatwick Airport. Meanwhile, Ireland's Department of Transport urged passengers travelling to the US to keep in contact with their airline and check for the latest updates before setting off.
The nationwide grounding is only the second time flights have been stopped across the US since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The previous incident happened in January 2023, when a computer system error forced the FAA to halt departures.
US homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that the problem was caused by new technology being introduced into an older air traffic control system, which ultimately overwhelmed it. He also said "it doesn't appear" that a cyber attack or rogue artificial intelligence had played any part in the incident.
