UK flights are being delayed and canceled as a ‘technical issue’ hits air traffic control

LONDON — Thousands of air vacationers confronted delays on Monday after Britain’s air traffic control gadget used to be hit by means of a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings.

Flight control operator National Air Traffic Services stated it used to be experiencing a “technical issue” that might lengthen flights on Monday, the tip of a vacation weekend and one of the vital busiest go back and forth days of the yr.

The provider stated it had “applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety” and that engineers were working to find and fix the fault. It said U.K. airspace remained open.

It did not give an estimate of how long it would take to fix the problem, or what had caused it, but European air traffic authority Eurocontrol warned of “very high” delays as a result of a “flight data processing system failure” within the U.Ok.

Scottish airline Loganair said there had been “a network-wide failure of U.K. air traffic control computer systems.”

“Although we are hopeful of being able to operate most intra-Scotland flights on the basis of local coordination and with a minimum of disruption, north-south and international flights may be subject to delays,” it said.

Airports outside the U.K. said flights to the U.K. were being disrupted. Dublin Airport said in a statement that air traffic control issues were resulting in delays and cancellations to some flights into and out of Dublin. “We advise all passengers because of go back and forth these days to test the standing in their flight with their airline upfront of travelling,” it stated.

British Airways stated it used to be “operating intently with NATS to grasp the have an effect on of a technical factor that has effects on U.Ok. airspace, and will stay our consumers up-to-the-minute with the most recent information.”