Heathrow flights among 177 cancelled on Wednesday after air traffic control fault - updates

Heathrow flights among 177 cancelled on Wednesday after air traffic control fault - updates EasyJet, BA, Ryanair, KLM and Eurowings flights have all been cancelled due to a major problem with air traffic control systems across the UK that has left tens of thousands stranded More than 170 flights have already been cancelled on Wednesday, with experts warning the "knock-on" effect of yesterday's outage will still be felt today. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shared an update at around 2:30am showing a number of flights had already been cancelled for Wednesday. The majority were from London Heathrow. It comes after more than 1,000 flights to and from at least 16 UK airports were impacted on Tuesday due to a major technical problem that hit air traffic control systems. Tens of thousands of holidaymakers were left stranded for hours, with distressed passengers reporting being left waiting on runways. Airports hit by the disruption included Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, London Southend, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Liverpool John Lennon, Aberdeen, Belfast, EMA, Southampton, Leeds and Jersey. Nats CEO Martin Rolfe apologised, telling the BBC there would be a full investigation into what had gone wrong, after Nats said resolving the issue had taken "longer than hoped". Travel journalist Simon Calder warned the knock-on effects on Wednesday were "going to be horrible". He told Sky News: "There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn't go out tonight." Has your flight been affected by the air traffic control fault? Contact us via livenews@reachplc.com Key Events Passengers on a British Airways flight that had been due to fly to Baltimore disembarked after four hours on the ground at Heathrow. During the long delay, flight attendants served pasta and chicken curry while patient passengers watched movies or strolled up and down the aisles. Flightradar24 wrote in a post on X: "All told, 1300 flights were cancelled to/from airports in the UK on Tuesday. 177 flights have been cancelled so far on Wednesday, nearly all at London-Heathrow." Travel journalist Simon Calder said the knock-on effects on Wednesday were "going to be horrible". He told Sky News: "There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn't go out tonight." Police have closed the M4 motorway near Heathrow Airport, National Highways announced at 1.35am on Wednesday (September 9). The motorway is closed in both directions between junction 3 for Harrow and junction 4 for Heathrow Airport, "due to a police led incident," the organisation said. CCTV images show motorists queuing up on the motorway. Today's air traffic control chaos has forced officials to lift Heathrow's night-time curfew in an effort to clear the backlog of delayed flights leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across the country. Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted as a result of the issue and it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights. Arsenal's travel for their upcoming Champions League game against Napoli was disrupted due to flight cancellation chaos. The team were delayed catching their flight to Naples because of air traffic control issues which left thousands of people stranded across the UK. The technical failure meant the North London team's flight was delayed. Players remained at the club training ground and left later for the airport. Read more here. Among the thousands facing disruption on Tuesday was Josie Donoghue, who had to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway at Gatwick. Ms Donoghue said: "Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. "We were trapped in there. "We were told we couldn't get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out. "It's just an absolute nightmare down there, it's the only word I can use to describe it." Nats boss Martin Rolfe will speak to the transport secretary on Wednesday. Martin Rolfe, boss of an air traffic control provider Nats, said he "always" accepts "full responsibility" after a technical issue caused huge disruptions. Nats provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports. It said in a statement that recovery had "taken longer than we had hoped" but its "system issue" on Tuesday had been resolved by 7.30pm. Departures at Heathrow were initially paused around lunchtime on Tuesday. Traffic then resumed, but further disruptions were seen in the afternoon. It is understood the airport ran out of space for incoming flights during because planes had not been departing. Flight delays are expected to continue on Wednesday, BBC reports. A civilian plane operating over the Irish Sea has reported a large drone near to Dublin Bay. The Aer Lingus pilot reported the sighting to Dublin Air Traffic Control at around 5.20pm on Tuesday. A passenger at Heathrow Airport says it is "absolute carnage" as he blasted what he claimed to be a lack of communication from British Airways. He wrote on X: "Absolute carnage at Heathrow T5, accept technical fault beyond @British_Airways control but the lack of comms and information is shocking." A woman says she is "disgusted" by the treatment of passengers at Gatwick Airport saying she has been waiting four hours for luggage with a "very anxious eight-year-old" after the flight was cancelled. She wrote on X: "@easyJet @Gatwick_Airport Absolutely disgusted with how you have treated your customers throughout the issues at Gatwick airport. "My flight was cancelled 5 hours ago and I am still waiting for my luggage 4 hours later. I am stranded with a very anxious 8 year old!!!!!" Tens of thousands of passengers in the UK have been affected by an air traffic control issue with flights delayed and cancelled and here is the latest from airports. Heathrow: Arrivals into the airport have been suspended for the remainder of today while departures have resumed but disruption is expected to continue. Gatwick: The airport is extremely busy with dozens of passengers queuing up to speak to staff members from the service centre. The airport is informing travellers via a regular announcement that it is aware of the Nats issue. “Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding flights,” it further states. Stansted: The airport says flights "may continue to be subject to disruption while airlines recover their schedules". And a statement added: "If expecting to travel on Wednesday, September 9, please check your flight status directly with your airline before travelling to the airport." Manchester: Flight disruption is expected to continue “for the rest of the day” says the airport. In a post on X it added: “Only travel to the airport if your airline has confirmed that your flight is operating." Luton: The airport has also advised passengers to check the latest information with their airline before travelling. It stated: “We appreciate this disruption will be frustrating for passengers and are sorry for the impact on their journeys. We have colleagues on hand across the airport to support affected passengers and help keep people informed." Edinburgh: Passengers have been told there will be “knock on impacts” from Nats technical issues despite a fix implemented. A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport added: We are working closely with local air traffic control, airlines and other partners to minimise disruption where possible." East Midlands: Disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the day and the airport adds: "A full flight schedule is expected to operate tomorrow but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights." A passenger says how his flight at Heathrow Airport has been cancelled after passengers were forced to wait for five hours on the tarmac and that there are now "hordes of angry people". Evan Dalton wrote on X along with a clip of large crowds: "Heathrow is a complete mess. Hordes of angry people in a mob. We need help!" In a message to British Airways he earlier wrote: "Our @British_Airways flight just got cancelled after 5 hours on the tarmac. Half the cabin was served food and half wasn’t. Worst plane experience of my life. I have sent you a DM." Passenger Julia Pobegailova says she waited on a plane for three hours before her flight was cancelled at Gatwick Airport. The 29-year-old was due to fly to Tel Aviv at around 1.30pm but said that after boarding the Wizz Air flight she sat on the runway for several hours before being informed it would not fly. Ms Pobegailova said that Wizz Air’s next flight to Tel Aviv isn’t until Saturday. “I’m just trying not to panic,” she added. “I’m trying to figure out what to do and find a solution. There’s always a way, so it’s fine.” Heathrow Airport has said it is suspending arrivals for the remainder of today after the earlier air traffic control technical issue. It says this is "for the safety of our passengers and colleagues". Josie Donoghue had to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway, and says getting through Gatwick airport was like “trying to get out of Alcatraz”. The healthcare worker boarded the Ryanair plane to Shannon at around 3pm and said that “everything seemed fine” until passengers were informed the flight would be delayed due to an issue with air traffic control. Ms Donoghue said the delay then went “on and on”, adding: “And then I thought, OK they’re not giving us any clear information. It was like they keep saying they’re troubleshooting, they’re doing this, they’re doing that, they’re doing the other. “Clearly, they didn’t want to tell us what was happening, so I had enough, and I decided at 6pm I’m getting off this plane. I told them I want to get off.” She said the staff were “exceptional” and helped passengers exit the plane. Ms Donoghue added: “Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there. We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out.“ She said: “It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.” Ms Donoghue is hoping to rebook a flight to Ireland for Wednesday. Ryanair COO calls on Nats boss Martin Rolfe to resign amid air traffic control chaos. Mr McMahon, said: “How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns? "Over three years after NATS’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC delays of up to 8 hours today due a critical NATS ATC system failing. "Families travelling on holiday, people travelling for work and thousands of visitors to the UK have once again paid the price for NATS’ abhorrent failure." Today's air traffic control fault has now led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, according to air traffic monitoring site Flightradar24. Amanda Dick-Cleland, 63, was due to fly from Gatwick to Ibiza at around 3.50pm today to celebrate a friend’s birthday on Friday. Her flight was cancelled, and Ms Dick-Cleland has been offered an alternative British Airways flight, but it is not until Saturday. Ms Dick-Cleland was travelling on Tuesday with a friend who had checked her bag in at around 6pm. She said: "She's 82, sitting on the carousel waiting for them to bring her bag back. She's been there for two hours." Gatwick Airport is very busy with long queues of passengers waiting to speak to staff members at the service centre. The airport is informing travellers via a regular announcement that it is aware of the Nats issue. “Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding flights,” it said. Nats says that the air traffic control problem has taken longer than "hoped" to fix. The company which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, states: "Recovery from today’s system issue has taken longer than we had hoped. "Our system issue is now resolved, we are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights. We are truly sorry for the ongoing flight disruption. We know this is hugely frustrating and apologise unreservedly. Passengers should continue to check with their airline." The Civil Aviation Authority has advised passengers of their rights if they are facing distruption from the air traffic control problem. "Is your flight delayed? Remember that you have rights, and your airline has a duty of care to you," it wrote on X along with a video clip. It says if you face a "significant delay" you must be provided with food and drink, a way to communicate such as an email or phone call and hotel accommodation if necessary. Manchester Airport says it expects flight disruption to continue “for the rest of the day” following the air traffic control glitch. In a post on X, the airport said: “Following today's Nats air traffic control issue, flight disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the day while airlines recover their schedules. "Before travelling to the airport, please check your flight status directly with your airline. Only travel to the airport if your airline has confirmed that your flight is operating. We’ll share further updates when available. Thank you for your patience." Footage shows passengers on a Ryanair flight from Gatwick to Dublin where it is claimed they have been stuck for five hours and people complained that they had not received water. East Midlands Airport has urged passengers to check with their airlines before travelling due to flight disruption. It states on X: "Following today's NATS air traffic control issue flight disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the day while airlines recover their schedules. "Before travelling to the airport please check your flight status directly with your airline. Only travel to the airport if your airline has confirmed that your flight is operating." British Airways says it has been forced to cancel or divert more than 100 of its flights following the air traffic control issue. A spokesperson for the airline said: “While Nats has informed us that their air traffic control system fault has been resolved, the severity of the issue means there will be a significant knock-on impact for customers and colleagues. “We were forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday afternoon, inconveniencing tens of thousands of customers. “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. We’re doing everything we can to keep our customers updated and make arrangements for them to continue their journeys. “We ask customers whose flights have been cancelled not to travel to the airport and to bear with us if they’re trying to get in touch, as our call centres are incredibly busy at the moment. Customers due to travel today or tomorrow are able to make changes to their booking on ba.com.” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she is “seeking assurances that lessons will be learned” following the air traffic control chaos. In a post on X, the MP for Swindon South said: “Pleased @NATS have fixed the issue, and huge thanks to those working to get people moving. “It will take time to fully resume flights, so continue to check with airlines. I am seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and systems that support aviation are up to the job.”