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U.K. Air Travel Will Be Disrupted for ‘Some Days’ After Traffic Control Glitch

The government ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the technical problems, which forced airlines to cancel about 5 percent of the flights in and out of the country on Tuesday as they tried to catch up.

By Emma Bubola

Reporting from London

Flights in and out of Britain will be disrupted for days, the U.K. government said on Tuesday, after a technical issue with the country’s air traffic control system left thousands of passengers stranded abroad or facing severe delays.

Around 280 flights were canceled on Tuesday, about 5 percent of the total scheduled to leave or arrive in Britain, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, compounding travel woes for British holidaymakers after more than a thousand flights were canceled the day before.

The trouble came at a particularly busy time for travelers in Britain, many of whom were returning home from summer vacation or long weekends because Monday was a public holiday in the country.

“The timing was not at all helpful for people,” Mark Harper, the government minister responsible for transport policy, told the BBC on Tuesday morning. “It’s disrupted thousands of people. Lots of flights were canceled yesterday because of the imperative to keep the system working safely, and it is going to take some days to get completely everybody back to where they should be.”

He added that the government’s technical experts had concluded that the episode was not a cyberattack.

Britain’s National Air Traffic Service, which runs air traffic control, said on Monday that a failure of the automatic system that processes plane routes meant that, for several hours, flight plans had to be entered manually.

When air traffic control issues arise, the priority is to safely land planes that are already in the air, experts said, forcing hundreds of flights to be temporarily grounded or canceled. They added that the delays continued on Tuesday in part because aircraft and crews were out of position.

Juliet Kennedy, the operations director of the air traffic service, apologized in a video on Monday night, and added that “it will take some time for flights to return to normal.” She said the company would thoroughly investigate what had caused the glitch.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, the agency said its initial investigation found the problem related to “some of the flight data we received.” It said its findings would be made public.

Passengers have been urged to check the status of their flight with their airline before traveling to the airport.

Emma Bubola is a reporter based in London. More about Emma Bubola

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Travel Disruption: Heathrow flight disruptions today and advice on delays and cancellations

If you’re experiencing Heathrow delays or your flight is impacted by severe weather or industrial action, there are a few things you’ll need to know.

The main information contact number for Heathrow Airport is: 0844 335 1801 *. If you are using a textphone, please use: 0844 571 7410 *

Use our Compensation Calculator to find out what you could be entitled to in compensation from your airline.

Bear in mind, any flights delayed for less than 3 hours are unlikely to provide any compensation and you’ll have to contact your travel insurance provider or the airline separately to make a claim.

Here’s our guide to understanding your compensation results.

You’re not always guaranteed a pay-out if your flight is delayed, there’s a number of factors that can cause airlines and airports to delay your flight. Essentially, it depends on how long you’ve been delayed and why you were delayed. Whether it’s strike action, bad weather such as snow and fog, or traffic control issues, different causes mean different compensation brackets for you as the passenger.

How can I get compensation from my travel insurance provider?

All travel insurance policies are different and offer different levels of cover. It is best you contact your insurance provider or read the policy wording document on their website to find out how much compensation you are entitled to if your flights are cancelled or delayed.

The airline has a legal obligation to provide you with a flight to your destination as your ticket is a contract with them, despite any Heathrow disruptions today or tomorrow. If there are no later flights available you should ask the airline to book you a flight from another airport and pay for your transport to that airport. If this is not an option then you should consider alternative modes of transport and apply to have your ticket refunded.

There are three options if you’re trying to get around Europe without flying.

For example, if you’re eager to get away, you could hire a car and drive to your destination. Some car hire providers will let you drive your hired vehicle across Europe and drop it off in your destination country. Bear in mind, companies can sometimes charge extra for letting you take the car across country borders and charge you for crossing back again.

Other choices are public transport links. Another mode of transport would be to take the ferry if you are trying to get to Europe or, if you’re trying to get to France or Belgium, you could try and take the Eurostar. The Eurostar is a train which travels from London St Pancras train station to Paris and Brussels.

However, just because London Heathrow isn’t flying, doesn’t mean the rest of the UK isn’t. So if you’re going further afield than Europe, say you’re flying to Bali or New York, local ferries and the Eurostar won’t really help you. Therefore, if you are travelling internationally and you cannot get a flight with your airline from Heathrow airport you should try and get a flight from any airport within the UK.

If there is no alternative available, your airline should provide you with a refund for your disrupted flight within seven days.

Here are some of Heathrow’s biggest airlines with link to their customer service lines and how to access compensation for your delayed flights:

0344 493 0787

0203 540 8063

0345 601 09 56

01293 496883

Top tips when talking to the airline’s customer services provider about your flight delay:

• Where possible, call them ahead of time or check their website or social media for updates. Check your booking confirmation to double-check which airline you are flying with and give them a call for the latest update or what the next steps are. It is best to check flight details with your airline as soon as possible ; if your flight is cancelled you may be advised not to travel to the airport.
• Keep checking for up to date information about the airport by checking their Twitter or by calling your airline directly. You can also check major flight disruptions on the BBC website.
• If your airline cancels your flight the airline must give you the option of rebooking an alternative flight; either as soon as possible, or at a later date. If no flight is suitable you can request a refund.
• If the flight is cancelled due to reasons out of the airline’s control they will not pay for cancellation of your accommodation or cancellation of any other arrangements. However, if you have taken out a comprehensive travel insurance policy when you booked your holiday, any Heathrow delays should be covered and you should be able to claim back most of the expenses incurred from cancelling the holiday from your travel insurance provider. Please check with your insurers to see if they can help.
• Try to stay calm – you’re in safe hands, the airlines know what they are doing and if your flight has been delayed or cancelled it is for your own safety! There’s nothing to be achieved by getting angry at any airline representative. As they say, don’t shoot the messenger.

If you don’t get anywhere with your airline representative, here are your alternate solutions that will still help you get away:

What are my passenger rights?

If your re-booked flight leaves 2 hours after the scheduled flight your airline should provide you with free meals while you wait and accommodation if needed, as well as two free phone calls. The level of compensation will depend on the distance you are travelling and how much later you will arrive from the original flight.

Heathrow Delays – Why is my flight delayed?

To find out what the Heathrow Airport weather warnings are today, and what they mean for your flight, we recommend finding your flight details with our online Flight Departures Board . Often Heathrow will warn of destination closures, so if you’re flying to Bali where there’s a volcanic ash cloud, your flights will be cancelled. Alternatively, weather warnings will be in relation to the UK, such as Storm Doris in February 2017. Our online departures board will give you the most accurate times for your flights and any Heathrow disruptions today.

As for why your specific flight is delayed, stay up to date on your airlines’ social media, website or local news.

Likely causes for Heathrow delays are weather disruptions, technical issues or strike action; but really Heathrow Airport weather warnings could come down to a whole array of causes, both in the UK and at your destination. The weather might not be suitable for flying, see how each weather type affects flying below for snow, rain, wind and fog . Alternatively, if you’re receiving news that your flight is delayed for other reasons, it’s possible there are strikes, a technical error or in exceptional circumstances, the airline may no longer be flying.

Get compensation for 1+ hour flight delays.

Did you know that Colibra offer fair compensation for flights delayed by at least an hour, regardless of the reason? All you have to do is download their app, register before you fly and upload your boarding pass, all for free. Should your flight then be delayed by an hour or more, Colibra will compensate you within 24 hours for the inconvenience.

Why does snow disrupt flights?

One of the most common causes for Heathrow delays is when it’s snowing is that every plane must be completely de-iced before it can take off. This is because any ice on the plane affects the wings and fuselage which makes the planes more difficult to control. In severely cold temperatures, planes must take off as soon as they are de-iced to prevent the ice building up again. Therefore, this causes delays as de-icing cannot be done in advance at the start of the day.

Another major cause of Heathrow Airport weather warnings and subsequent delays is when the runways and roads are covered in precipitation or ice. Heathrow has to be cleared of any snow and ice to get as many flights out as soon as possible which is usually the airport’s responsibility, i.e. Heathrow’s disruption team.

If too much heavy snow has settled on Heathrow runways, then the airport may have to be closed while the airport is cleared of all snow. Planes cannot take off when there is any snow on the ground.

Larger airports like Heathrow and Gatwick are more impacted by severe weather than smaller airports as they have so many flights that a delay of a few hours causes a huge backlog of flights. On the other hand, they often have bigger and more efficient teams to deal with Heathrow delays and flight disruptions because they are bigger and dealing with more traffic.

The issue being if there are multiple delays at Heathrow due to weather disruptions, planes will have to wait their turn to use the runways and begin your holiday. Just because disruption teams are fast, doesn’t mean the whole process is going to be an instant fix. Often if Heathrow Airport gives a weather warning, officials may decide it’s not worth clearing all terminal runways of snow, if snow is forecast to continue falling over a long period of time.

More weather warnings: Why does wind, rain and fog disrupt flights and cause delays at Heathrow?

When it comes to flying a plane, pilots and flight crews aren’t just looking with their eyes. Pilots have systems to tell them their altitude, radar, temperature gauge and wind speeds – even being in constant contact with the Air Traffic Control team back at Heathrow to let them know exactly what’s going on in the skies.

So why does rain and fog cause so many airport weather warnings and have that much of a difference to Heathrow delays? To begin with, the flight crew themselves have to get to the airport, just the same as you and all of their passengers. This means driving through fog and coping with the various accidents on public transport and the roads en route to work.

This is when you experience turbulence and the seat belt sign will come back on mid-flight. Wind probably causes the most hassle with take off, landing or if you’re travelling in higher altitudes. There’ll be a limit to how hard the plane’s engines can work to maintain the same speed on a good day as they do when travelling against the wind or jet stream and whether it’s safe to fly at all.

Despite all the specialist equipment onboard a plane, it’s still pretty useful to see clearly with your own eyes. Flight crews will be more confident and probably more efficient when travelling on a clear day than when there are weather disruptions. While they may rely on Air Traffic Control and their plane’s systems, you’re more likely to experience fewer Heathrow disruptions and have a cleaner and fast flight on a nice day. At the end of the day, if it’s not safe to fly, you won’t be flying. Heathrow flight delays are there to keep you safe.

Why do strikes result in Heathrow delays?

Striking action can also lead to disruptions which although are usually localised to certain organisations and locations, can still affect your journey.

The key to avoiding these problems however lays simply in planning your journey effectively. Leave plenty of time to get to the airport, especially if you know there’s snow or strikes forecast or check scheduled times the night before on things like Travel and Road Report sites, National Rail and Trainline.

And if you are taking the car to Heathrow airport, drive safely and remember these tips:

• Heathrow Airport weather warnings mean the surrounding roads will be affected too: it’s not just about the airport
• Keep plenty of distance between you and the car in front in case they break suddenly or you hydroplane.
• Drive slowly to ensure they’re always completely in control of their vehicle.
• If you start to slide on ice, steer into the direction you’re going to regain control.

Stay safe out there!

Keeping yourself informed about any Heathrow disruptions and delays will play a major part in streamlining your journey. Utilise news websites, travel apps, Twitter and radio so you’re up-to-date with the latest news regarding your method of transportation which should help you avoid any problematic routes.

There can sometimes be cases where it just won’t be possible for you to make your flight, for example, weather disruptions are so severe that it is unsafe for you to travel. In such circumstances where no one is really at fault, you should check your flight’s status and speak to your airline as it’s more than likely to be affected if the weather conditions are that bad, or alternatively look to your travel insurance for compensation.

Heathrow Airport warns services will 'remain significantly disrupted' after UK air traffic control fault

London Gatwick said it plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday following the disruption. However, passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

News reporter @samuelosborne93

Tuesday 29 August 2023 08:10, UK

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Heathrow Airport has said its services will "remain significantly disrupted" on Tuesday after air traffic controllers across the UK experienced a technical fault.

In a statement about the "technical issues" that affected the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), Britain's busiest airport urged passengers to contact their airline before travelling to the airport.

"The issue has been resolved, however schedules remain significantly disrupted," it said.

"If you are travelling on 29th August, please ensure you contact your airline before travelling to the airport."

Brits stuck abroad as warnings disruption could last into the week - live updates

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London Gatwick has said it plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday following the disruption.

However, passengers have been advised to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

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London Stansted also said it planned to run a normal flight schedule on Tuesday, but added "our terminal may be busier than anticipated".

And major UK airlines such as Tui and BA warned of "significant delays" for passengers amid changes to schedules.

By Monday afternoon 232 flights departing UK airports had been cancelled along with 271 arriving flights, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. It equates to about 8% of all expected departures and 9% of expected arrivals, Cirium added.

The technical fault meant flight plans had to be input manually by controllers.

Read more: What we know about system failure and how it's affecting flights

What have airports said about the disruption?

While NATS has confirmed it has fixed the technical issue with the UK's air traffic control system, airports have warned the disruption it has caused will continue. Here's what some of them have said.

London Luton Airport: "Flights may be subject to delay or cancellation as a result of yesterday's technical issues with Air Traffic Control systems across UK airspace. Please check with your airline for the latest status of your flight."

Manchester Airport: "As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by NATS earlier today, there continues to be flight disruption, including delays and cancellations."

Newcastle International Airport: "We understand that the technical issue with National Air Traffic Services is now resolved, but it will take some time for operations to get back to normal."

London Stansted Airport expects to run a normal flight schedule on Tuesday 29 August, following the nationwide technical issue that affected air traffic control. "We do still advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport. As our airlines look to accommodate passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted over the past 24 hours, our terminal may be busier than anticipated. Our teams will be working with our airlines and their handing agents to get you through the airport as smoothly as possible. Thank-you for your understanding."

Heathrow Airport: We apologise for any inconvenience as a result of the NATS technical issues today. The issue has been resolved however schedules remain significantly disrupted. If you are travelling on 29th August, please ensure you contact your airline before travelling to the airport.

Gatwick Airport plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday 29 August following disruption today (28 August). Passengers are however advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to the airport.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said on Monday that "despite resolving the technical issue behind today's air traffic control issues, flights are still unfortunately affected".

He said he would encourage all passengers to read the UK Civil Aviation Authority's guidance and "be aware of their rights when flights are delayed or cancelled".

Technical issue 'remedied' but travellers face continued disruption

Earlier on Monday NATS said the "technical issue" affecting its flight planning system had been "identified and remedied", but travellers continued to face disruption.

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"We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible," NATS said.

"Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system's performance as we return to normal operations.

"The flight planning issue affected the system's ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions.

"Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight."

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British Airways News & Operational Updates

London Air Travel » British Airways News & Operational Updates

Here are the latest updates on BA’s operation at London City, Gatwick & Heathrow airports.

Quick Links

Flight Disruption & Schedule Changes

Some long haul routes at Heathrow are subject to ad hoc frequency reductions and cancellations in the autumn of 2024 due to aircraft availability.

Routes affected include Hyderabad (suspended 4 – 14 September), Bangalore (suspended 14 – 23 September), Chennai (suspended 23 September – 1 October).

Also at Heathrow, BA will return to Kuala Lumpur from 10 November 2024. BA will also launch a new winter seasonal route to Bangkok from Gatwick 28 October 2024.

Flights to Beijing are suspended from 25 October 2024.

In Flight Service Changes

Free in flight messaging is now available to all members of the BA Executive Club on WiFi enabled aircraft.

Once WiFi becomes available after take off, select the BA WiFi network on your device and enter your Executive Club login credentials in your browser for free messaging through the website shop.ba.com

BA Long Haul Flights

Please see here for a full guide to BA’s long haul route network . Routes operating at Heathrow are:

USA: Austin, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Cincinnati, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Newark, New York JFK, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington Dulles

Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver

North Atlantic: Bermuda

Caribbean: Barbados, Grand Cayman, Nassau, Providenciales

Central & South America: Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Sao Paulo

Africa: Abuja, Accra, Cairo, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi

Indian Ocean: The Maldives

Middle East: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Tel Aviv

South & Central Asia: Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Mumbai, New Delhi

Far East: Beijing Daxing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo Haneda

Australia: Sydney

Long haul routes operating at Gatwick are:

USA: Las Vegas, New York JFK, Orlando, Tampa

Caribbean: Antigua, Aruba, Grenada, Kingston, Port of Spain, Punta Cana, Saint Lucia, St Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago

Africa: Accra

Central & South America: Cancun, Georgetown

Indian Ocean: Mauritius

BA Short Haul Flights

Some short haul flights at Heathrow will be operated by Danish Air Transport this summer.

You can also see our dedicated BA short haul network pages for London City , Gatwick and Heathrow .

BA Ground Services & Lounges

At Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5, BA has “refreshed” its lounges with new furnishings.

A full remodelling and refit of the Heathrow lounges is expected to start in 2025.

Full details of the latest openings and refurbishments by BA are on our lounge news page.

Alliance & Codeshare Partner Airlines

At Heathrow, BA’s Oneworld alliance partners American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Royal Jordanian, SriLankan and Qantas operate from Terminal 3.

Qatar Airways operates from Terminal 4.

Terminal 5 is currently occupied by BA and Iberia.

BA Aircraft Guides

Please see our guides to BA’s short haul and long haul fleets with details of new aircraft deliveries and refurbishment plans.

Copyright London Air Travel 2022.

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