Heathrow and Gatwick flights disrupted by air traffic control failure - Financial Times

A technical failure in the United Kingdom’s air‑traffic control system caused major disruptions to flights operating from London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The outage, which began on Thursday morning, halted the processing of aircraft movements and forced the temporary suspension of departures and arrivals at both airports.

The malfunction affected a large number of scheduled services, leading to widespread cancellations and delays across domestic and international routes. Airlines were forced to ground aircraft and suspend check‑in procedures while the control system was diagnosed and repaired. The disruption quickly built a significant backlog of flights that had to be rescheduled.

Among the passengers impacted were several Australian travellers, some of whom were forced to spend the night in the terminal areas of Heathrow while waiting for assistance. The prolonged delay left many passengers without accommodation or onward transport, prompting airport staff to provide basic amenities where possible.

The technical fault has now been resolved, and air‑traffic controllers have resumed normal operations. Airlines are working to clear the accumulated backlog, but the volume of delayed and cancelled flights means that recovery is expected to take several days. Some flights remain cancelled, and others are operating with reduced capacity.

Travelers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest status of their flights and to allow extra time for airport procedures. Airport authorities continue to monitor the situation and to provide updates to passengers as the schedule normalises.