British airspace is not closed, but there are strong restrictions. There are already delays of several hours on flights to the UK, including those departing from Faro.
Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
A 'technical fault' is affecting the UK's air traffic control network, causing significant delays to flights, including flights from Faro.
The UK's National Air Traffic Control Service (NATS) reported on Monday that it had to restrict flights in British airspace. A spokesman for the organization said, quoted by Reuters: “We are currently facing a technical problem and we have implemented air traffic restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and solve the problem.”
NATS did not provide an estimate for how long these restrictions would last, nor did it reveal the cause of the technical issue.
The European Air Traffic Authority Eurocontrol has already warned of “very significant” delays due to this failure.
By early afternoon, several planes were waiting more than an hour to land. British airspace is not closed, but there are severe restrictions.
ANA Source – Aeroportos de Portugal admitted to CNN that restrictions in UK airspace may have “some impact” on flights to and from the UK at all national airports, and there may be delays or cancellations. ANA advises passengers departing or arriving at Portuguese airports to contact their airlines to find out more information about the status of flights scheduled this Monday.
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