Computer Failure Briefly Restricts London Airspace, Disrupts Hundreds of Flights Around the U.K.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed across the U.K. after the National Air Traffic Services suffered a computer failure.

Flyers are finding their travel plans either cancelled or delayed after a temporary computer failure disrupted flights around the U.K. BBC News reports the failure occurred at the National Aviation Traffic Service (NATS) Swanwick control center on Friday, delaying flights and restricting airspace at some of the U.K.’s busiest airports for more than 90 minutes.

The air traffic logjam began when NATS announced the problem at Swanwick. According to BBC News, a source at NATS said the situation revolved around a system that coordinates air traffic in and out of London. Both arriving and departing traffic at three of London’s airports — London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Gatwick Airport (LGW) and London Stansted Airport (STN) — were directly affected by the glitch.

FlightStats.com reports that as of 6 p.m. GMT, over 60 flights have been cancelled between the three London airports, with nearly 300 flights experiencing delays. Out of all affected airports, LHR was hit the hardest by the incident, with over 40 flights cancelled and nearly 300 delayed.

Airlines are responding to the situation with mixed reactions. A representative for British Airways told CNN that flyers no longer wishing to travel on Friday will be offered the opportunity to change their flights or request a refund, while other airlines say they do not anticipate the situation will create long-term cancellations or delays. The Guardian reports the wait time to speak with customer service at LHR is more than two hours long.

A number of other airports across the U.K. have been affected by the air traffic disruption. A representative for Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) told BBC News that all outbound flights from the airport were suspended until 8 p.m. GMT, while officials at Southampton Airport (SOU) simply said they were “experiencing problems.”

Since the disruption, NATS released a statement announcing that systems have been restored, but stressing that “it will take time for operations across the U.K. to fully recover.” NATS encouraged travelers to check their flight status and contact their airlines for additional assistance.

Other than acknowledging and apologizing for the “technical failure,” NATS has yet to confirm the cause of the breakdown. Bloomberg reports that this is the second incident within the past 18 months when London’s airspace was disrupted by NATS. In July 2013, NATS restricted the number of aircraft departing London airports due to a “technical problem.”

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