Heathrow suspended arrivals after an air traffic control failure disrupted more than 1,000 flights and stranded passengers across Britain.
More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled across Britain after an air traffic control system failure caused widespread disruption at airports, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for hours.
The problem affected at least 15 UK airports, with passengers reporting lengthy delays on aircraft and inside terminals as airlines struggled to clear a backlog of disrupted flights.
Passenger Josie Donoghue described the situation at Gatwick Airport as an “absolute nightmare” after spending three hours aboard a Ryanair flight before it was cancelled.
“Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. It’s just an absolute nightmare down there. It’s the only word I can use to describe it.”
Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it had resolved the problem in its flight processing system during the evening, but warned that the disruption had continued to affect flights as airlines and airports worked to recover from the backlog.
London Heathrow resumed departures but suspended arrivals for the remainder of the night because of the disruption, with passengers warned to expect further delays.
Passengers on a British Airways flight scheduled to travel to Baltimore spent four hours on the ground at Heathrow before being allowed to disembark.
During the delay, cabin crew served passengers pasta and chicken curry, while some watched films or walked along the aircraft aisles.
However, passengers faced further problems after leaving the aircraft, with disruption reported at the baggage claim area and some travellers saying they were told no one was available to assist them.
British Airways said it had been forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights as a result of the disruption.
“The severity of the issue means there will be a significant knock-on impact. This incident was entirely out of our control and incredibly frustrating for our customers and colleagues, with aircraft and crews ending up out of place.”
Ryanair said more than 65,000 passengers had been affected and that it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights.
EasyJet also said some of its flights were “unable to operate”, describing the system failure as the cause of delays affecting flights across Europe.
The disruption affected major airports including London Stansted and London City, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick and airports in Scotland.
Passengers were advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest information before travelling.
The disruption also prompted frustration on social media, with passengers complaining about spending hours aboard aircraft and criticising what they described as a lack of communication from airlines.
Although NATS said the technical problem had been resolved, the scale of the disruption meant its effects continued to ripple through the aviation network as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews and clear the backlog of delayed passengers.