The Transport Secretary has issued an apology for the nationwide air traffic control malfunction that occurred yesterday, stating that such extensive issues haven’t been witnessed in over ten years. Mark Harper emphasized that cybersecurity concerns have been ruled out by technical experts, and the Civil Aviation Authority will be launching an investigation into the matter.
Mark Harper spoke with Sky News, noting, “An incident of this magnitude hasn’t occurred in nearly a decade. Ordinarily, the system operates very effectively.” The disruption from yesterday affected numerous passengers, and aviation analysts are cautioning that there could be lasting repercussions for days ahead.
Reports have emerged of tense situations at various European airports, including physical altercations in Palma, where frustrated tourists are grappling with the challenges of returning home.
Heathrow Airport has announced that its services will continue to experience “significant disruptions” today. Travelers are being strongly advised to get in touch with their respective airlines prior to heading to the airport.
The air traffic control turmoil has led to the cancellation of over 60 flights at Heathrow Airport, encompassing at least 32 departures and 31 arrivals. British Airways appears to be facing the most pronounced impact among airlines.
Meanwhile, London Gatwick has disclosed its intention to resume normal operations on Tuesday after the period of disruption. However, passengers are being cautioned to verify the status of their flights with their airlines before making their way to the airport.
London Stansted has also conveyed its plan to maintain its regular flight schedule on Tuesday, although it did mention the possibility of an unexpectedly higher volume of passengers in the terminal.
Key UK airlines like Tui and British Airways have warned travellers of “significant delays” due to schedule adjustments. Airports are urging passengers to confirm with their respective flight operators before travelling to the terminal to account for potential delays and alterations.
What the Tour Ops are Saying
Jet2
Due to the technical fault affecting the UK’s National Air Traffic Services, which has impacted all airlines, all Jet2.com flights departing and returning to the UK are expected to experience significant delays.
Our teams are working incredibly hard to communicate with, and look after, our customers and they will continue to do so.
As a result of the disruption, we have taken the decision to cancel some outbound flights scheduled Monday 28th August and Tuesday 29th August.
We will be contacting all affected customers to let them know, and they will of course receive a full refund. We are extremely sorry to have to take this decision however the ATC disruption leaves us with no other choice.
We are reviewing today’s programme as the situation evolves, and we will update customers in due course.
Customers due to travel tomorrow should travel to the airport as normal unless we advise otherwise, and continue to monitor Flight Information on our website.
We would of course like to apologise to everyone that is affected by this situation, which is unfortunately completely outside of our control.
Tui
Customers due to go on holiday 28th August
We understand how important holidays are to our customers, which is why we’re doing everything we can to keep operating as many flights as possible to and from the UK, despite the significant impact to all airlines following the National Air Traffic Control Services (NATS) issue.
It is therefore with deep regret that we have been given no choice but to cancel a small number of outgoing holidays due to the repercussions of the NATS system issues. These flights are listed below. Those customers impacted will be contacted by us directly to discuss their options, which include amending to an alternative holiday or getting a full refund.
Customers due to travel home from their holiday on 28th August
We would like to reassure customers currently on holiday and due to fly home that their flight will operate but may be subject to delay. We will continue to keep them updated directly via the TUI app and email.
Our priority remains communicating directly with our customers and making sure they are looked after during this unexpected disruption.
Customers due to travel on holiday on 29th August
We are expecting some delays to our programme and will be in touch with customers directly should travel plans change. Customers travelling on Tuesday 29th August should travel to the airport as usual, unless contacted directly by TUI and told otherwise.
Monday 28th August – National Air Traffic Control Services system failure – cancelled flights:
TOM306 – Birmingham to Antalya
TOM770 – London Gatwick to Hurghada
TOM450 – Manchester to Hurghada
BY656 – Glasgow to Enfidha-Hammamet, Tunisia
BY564 – London Gatwick to Dalaman, Turkey
TOM526 – Glasgow to Dalaman, Turkey
BY590 – London Gatwick to Antalya
TOM1176 – Newcastle to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
TOM6160 – Cardiff to Tenerife South
TOM4126 – London Gatwick to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
TOM1100 – Belfast to Heraklion, Greece
TOM2146 – Manchester to Lanzarote
TOM7128 – East Midlands to Tenerife South
TOM2106 – Manchester to Tenerife South
TOM 4146 – London Gatwick to Corfu
TOM 6154 Cardiff to Bourgas
Easyjet
easyJet has been advised of an Air Traffic Control systems failure affecting UK airspace, which is currently causing disruption to flying programmes for airlines operating to and from the UK.
We are providing customers on cancelled flights with the option to transfer their flight free of charge or receive a refund and recommend that all passengers flying with us today, regardless of their destination, check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker for real time information before travelling to the airport.
The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our highest priority and while these circumstances are outside of our control, we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused and to reassure customers that we are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the disruption.
