UK air traffic control fault disrupts flights at major airports

A technical fault at UK air traffic control provider NATS disrupted flights at major British airports on Tuesday, causing hundreds of cancellations and delays and renewing questions about aviation infrastructure resilience. The issue has since been resolved. NATS confirmed the problem affected its flight data processing system, stating safety was not compromised, and recovery took longer than hoped. Nearly a thousand flights were disrupted, including at Heathrow, with data showing hundreds of departures delayed and arrivals cancelled or delayed across six airports. This incident follows a 2023 flight-plan processing failure that cost airlines over £100 million, and a radar-related issue in July last year. Airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air criticized NATS, while the Civil Aviation Authority expects a full report.