UK flight delays: Technical problem resolved after air traffic control system fault

A technical problem with the UK's air traffic control system caused flight delays, Nats said.

Customers were stuck on runways after a technical issue at Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre, but the problem was resolved by 3pm.

Air traffic control company Nats said: "Following the technical problem at Swanwick air traffic control centre this morning, we have now fixed the issue sufficiently to safely increase traffic flow rates and will see an improving picture through the rest of the day. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

"However, the weather is continuing to cause significant unrelated disruption across the country and more widely across Europe, which has further complicated today’s operation."

In an earlier statement, they said: "We have a technical problem with a system at the Swanwick Air Traffic Control which is causing some flight restrictions. We are doing all we can to fix it as soon as possible."

Nats' European counterpart Eurocontrol said the problem is being caused by an "issue with radar displays" and there will be "high" levels of delays for arriving flights at Heathrow and Gatwick for the rest of the day.

It added that the delays have reduced "but are still high."

Passengers complained on social media about the delays, with one claiming they had been stuck on a plane at Heathrow for two hours because of the issue.

Others who were due to land there were also facing long waits.

The delays added to fliers' woes after many were asked to check with airlines before travelling due to heatwave-related issues across Europe.

British Airways said severe thunderstorms had caused "significant delays and cancellations to our operation in and out of London".

Passengers using Eurostar services to and from Paris were also facing "severe disruption" due to overhead power line problems in the French capital, the operating company said.