Flights Disrupted Across the U.K. Due to Radar Failure, Causing Widespread Delays

A U.K. air traffic control service provider has resolved a “technical issue” that caused widespread flight disruptions. The delays come just months after a power outage forced Heathrow Airport to shut down for 16 hours.

On Wednesday, July 30, departing flights at Heathrow were grounded, months after a fire at a power substation had caused a 16-hour shutdown at the airport.

Flights from London airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, were briefly grounded Wednesday afternoon due to a technical issue with the region’s flight control system. According to representatives for the airports and NATS, the company that manages the radar, this issue temporarily halted air traffic.

NATS, which handles most of the U.K.’s air traffic control services, confirmed the problem on social media, stating that a “technical issue” in its system had forced a reduction in the number of aircraft flying over the London area.

By 5:10 p.m. (12:10 p.m. Eastern), NATS issued an update saying the issue had been resolved. “Our systems are fully operational, and air traffic capacity is returning to normal. Departures at all airports have resumed, and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely,” the statement read.

Despite the resolution, the brief outage caused ripple effects across the U.K., impacting airports during peak summer travel season. Many passengers traveling to and from London were affected, as Heathrow is one of Europe’s busiest and most critical travel hubs, leading to delays that spread across the continent.

A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed that departures had resumed but advised passengers to check with airlines before heading to the airport.

This disruption follows a similar incident in March, when a fire at a power substation forced Heathrow to shut down for around 16 hours, disrupting global travel for thousands of passengers.

The technical issue on Wednesday affected several airports across the U.K. Representatives from London City Airport confirmed delays or cancellations, while Gatwick Airport mentioned that normal operations were resuming, though some delays were still expected. Inbound flights continued to land at Gatwick, but outbound flights were grounded during the disruption.

Other airports affected included Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and East Midlands. At Manchester Airport, flights were held for about 45 minutes before normal service resumed at 5 p.m., according to airport spokesman Michael Murphy-Pyle, who added that the disruption’s ripple effects would likely be minimal.

Ryanair has called for the resignation of NATS’ CEO, Martin Rolfe, after the radar failure grounded hundreds of flights at the height of the holiday season, leading to delays of more than four hours and impacting thousands of travelers.

While the exact cause of the failure remains unclear, Ryanair’s Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon criticized NATS, stating that the latest incident made it clear that “no lessons have been learned” from previous crises.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, nytimes.com