Travel chaos continues as stranded passengers face days of disruption

Home > Industry Analysis > Content

【Summary】Thousands of passengers have been left stranded and facing travel disruption for days after flights were cancelled due to an air traffic control technical fault in the UK. Approximately 8% of expected departures and 9% of expected arrivals were affected. The issue has been resolved, but it will take some time for flights to return to normal. Major airlines warned of significant delays and urged passengers to check their flight times before heading to the airport.

FutureCar Staff Aug 29, 2023 12:22 AM PT

Travel chaos continues as stranded passengers face days of disruption

Travel disruption is expected to continue for days after flights were cancelled due to an air traffic control technical fault, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The issue began on Monday when a failure in the UK air traffic control system required flight plans to be manually input by controllers. By Monday afternoon, 232 departing flights and 271 arriving flights had been cancelled, accounting for approximately 8% of expected departures and 9% of expected arrivals, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the leading provider of air traffic control in the UK, stated that the technical issue had been identified and resolved by 3.15pm. Nats is working with airlines and airports to support affected flights. Juliet Kennedy, operations director at Nats, apologized for the impact on travel plans and explained that the automatic system providing controllers with aircraft details and routes had stopped working. She assured that the issue had been fixed, but it would take time for flights to return to normal and an investigation would be conducted.

There is no indication that the technical issue was caused by a cyber attack. Passengers both in the UK and abroad expressed frustration as they were left uncertain about when and how they would reach their destinations. Some passengers faced delays of up to six days, while others had their flights cancelled entirely. Major UK airlines, including Tui and British Airways, warned of significant delays and advised passengers to check for any changes to their flight times before heading to the airport.

Heathrow Airport apologized for the inconvenience caused by the Nats technical issues and stated that although the issue had been resolved, schedules remained significantly disrupted. Gatwick Airport announced plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday but advised passengers to check the status of their flights with the airlines. Rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE) offered free travel on Tuesday for customers affected by the air traffic control issues. TPE also extended the offer to customers arriving back in the UK on alternative dates, times, or at different airports.

The decision to provide free travel was made in recognition of the difficulties experienced by passengers, and it is hoped that this will provide some relief to those impacted by the technical problems.