An additional 177 flights have been scrapped on Wednesday after a technical fault triggered widespread travel disruption at airports across the UK on Tuesday. Flight tracking site Flightradar24 reported that 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, with a further 177 already axed on Wednesday, September 9.
Technical failure hits air traffic control
The technical failure affected Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports. The majority of Wednesday's cancellations are departing from London Heathrow. Tens of thousands of passengers have been caught up in the mayhem, which shows no signs of letting up.
Knock-on impacts are expected across airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted as further delays loom. Travel journalist Simon Calder warned that Wednesday's knock-on effects were "going to be horrible".
Airlines report significant impact
Calder added: "There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn't go out tonight." Ryanair confirmed that more than 65,000 of its passengers had been affected, with over 50 scheduled flights cancelled. British Airways (BA) revealed it was compelled to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday, impacting "tens of thousands of customers".
Nats CEO responds to criticism
Airlines have launched fierce criticism at Nats' chief executive Martin Rolfe after some passengers were left stranded on aircraft on runways for hours, with reports of no access to food, drink or toilet facilities. Speaking to Sky News, he stated: "I am the CEO of a piece of critical infrastructure, so it is my job to take responsibility for that. What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today. You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public."
Luton Airport confirmed in the early hours of Wednesday that the facility was "open and operational", though warned: "Some flights may still be subject to disruption and passengers are advised to check their flight status directly before travelling to the airport."
