Nigerian Passenger, Thousands Stranded as Air Traffic Control Failure Disrupts UK Flights
A Nigerian passenger and thousands of other travellers were stranded at London Heathrow and other airports on Tuesday following a major technical failure in the United Kingdom’s air traffic control system, which triggered widespread flight delays and cancellations.
PRNigeria gathered that the disruption affected departures from several major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted, after the UK’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) experienced a fault in its flight-processing system.
Nearly 300 flights were cancelled across the UK as of Tuesday, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, while hundreds of others suffered delays. British Airways and other carriers were among airlines affected by the disruption.
At Heathrow, departures were initially paused around lunchtime before briefly resuming, only to face further disruption later in the afternoon as the effects of the technical failure continued.
NATS subsequently confirmed that it had identified the fault in its flight-processing system and implemented a fix, although it warned that recovery would take time as airlines and airports worked through the backlog of delayed flights.
The air traffic control provider said UK airspace remained open and some flights were departing despite the disruption.
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In a chat with PRNigeria from Heathrow, a Nigerian passenger said scores of flights scheduled for different destinations on Tuesday were on hold as travellers waited for further information.
The passenger, who requested anonymity, said a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight scheduled to depart London for Jeddah at 2:50 p.m. remained on the ground, with passengers already inside the aircraft awaiting clearance for departure.
He said passengers aboard the aircraft had been waiting for more than two hours without refreshments.
“We haven’t been provided refreshments for over two hours that we have been stranded,” the passenger told PRNigeria.
The technical problem primarily affected departing flights, although the resulting congestion also caused wider disruption to airline schedules and some inbound services.
Heathrow authorities advised affected passengers to check directly with their airlines for the latest information on individual flights as NATS and airport operators worked to restore normal services.
The disruption was also felt beyond London, with airports in other parts of the UK and Ireland reporting delays as restrictions on air traffic affected airline operations.
With the technical fault addressed, passengers were awaiting the gradual clearance of the backlog, although disruption was expected to continue as airlines repositioned aircraft and crews following the widespread delays and cancellations.
By PRNigeria
