A computer failure has caused severe restrictions on British airspace, causing delays to hundreds of flights to and from the UK. The issue affecting British passengers and all those with a flight to the UK after 3pm has been resolved.
The British National Air Traffic Service (NATS) confirmed at 12:10 pm that there were “technical difficulties,” adding that “movement restrictions were implemented to maintain safety” and avoid a complete closure of British airspace.
“Engineers are working to correct this glitch. We apologize for any inconvenience caused,” Nats wrote in a brief statement published this morning.
As delays continue with no solution in sight, cancellations at British airports are beginning to increase. In mainland Portugal alone, more than 20 flights to the UK have been cancelled.
The European air traffic authority, Eurocontrol, also warned this morning of “very long” delays due to “an error in the flight data processing system.”
One of the passengers affected by this failure said that the flight was delayed for 12 hours. Many reports say that the takeoff was canceled at a time when people were already inside the plane. Some passengers may have remained inside the plane for periods longer than an hour, before disembarking and reporting a widespread computer failure.
The British political opposition even asked the government to call an urgent meeting to discuss possible scenarios if the problem is not resolved quickly. The Liberal Democrats called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to take control of the situation.
