A radar-related problem at the UK’s air traffic control caused major flight disruptions on Wednesday afternoon, leading to the cancellation of over 150 flights during a busy travel period. The issue forced authorities to slow down air traffic, affecting airports across the country, including London Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Birmingham, and Manchester.
The technical fault, which was quickly fixed by switching to a backup system, resulted in 84 departures and 71 arrivals being canceled, according to aviation data. Heathrow faced the brunt of the impact, with more than 45 flights called off. Some flights had to be diverted to other airports in Europe.
NATS, the organization responsible for managing UK airspace, said the problem was not related to a cyberattack. Operations at the Swanwick control center, which handles millions of flights a year over England and Wales, returned to normal once engineers restored the system.
The disruption caught the attention of government officials. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to get answers and was told the event was isolated. Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the frustration for travelers and airlines and said efforts were underway to understand the cause.
Airline leaders expressed their disappointment. EasyJet’s Chief Operating Officer called the disruption “extremely disappointing,” while Ryanair demanded Rolfe step down over the shutdown.
This event follows other recent problems in UK air travel, including a power cut at Heathrow in March and a full airspace shutdown two years ago caused by an air traffic control glitch. These incidents have made clear the challenges of keeping such a complex system running smoothly.
The Swanwick control center plays a crucial role, handling both high-level flights and those heading to London’s airports. It was built in 2002 with support from Lockheed Martin, designed to handle many more flights than before.
While the recent outage was brief, its impact was felt by thousands of passengers trying to make their summer holiday plans. Authorities and airlines now face the task of learning from this disruption to reduce the risk of similar issues in the future.