UK flight disruption continues, chaos at Heathrow: Air traffic glitch latest

British transport minister Mark Harper said that it would take days to resolve the disruption to flights into and out of the country after air traffic control systems were hit by a technical problem. Over 1,500 flights were cancelled – one of the country’s busiest travel days. Air traffic controllers were forced to switch to manual systems.

UK air traffic control glitch: Travellers wait near the British Airways check-in area at Heathrow Airport.

Mark Harper said that government officials did not believe the technical problem was the result of a cyber attack. “There is going to be some knock on impact today and I suspect for another few days as airlines get their planes and get their services back to normal,” he told the BBC. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said 790 flights departing UK airports were cancelled and 785 flights due to arrive were cancelled on Monday. This means that just over a quarter of all flights into or out of the country were affected, Reuters reported while travelers scampered amid the disruption sharing their experiences on social media.

Heathrow Airport, Britain’s busiest hub, told passengers to contact their airline before travelling to the airport on Tuesday as its services will “remain significantly disrupted” saying, “The issue has been resolved, however schedules remain significantly disrupted. If you are travelling on 29th August, please ensure you contact your airline before travelling to the airport.”

Meanwhile, airlines said that they were making changes to their schedules to try and fly as many people as possible but some planes and crews were not where they should have been.

“We’re working as hard as possible to get affected customers on their way again,” British Airways said on X.

London Gatwick said that it plans to operate a normal schedule today following the disruption but advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

London Stansted also said it planned to run a normal flight schedule but added “our terminal may be busier than anticipated” while Luton airport said “flights may be subject to delay or cancellation”.

Major UK airlines such as Tui and BA warned of “significant delays” for passengers amid changes to schedules.