• Technical issues in UK's air traffic control affected major airports
• All departures paused across UK airports due to the glitch
• Operations resumed after engineers fixed the problem, but backlogs remain
• Airlines report further cancellations and delays
• Calls for accountability have arisen following recurring outages

A significant technical issue in the UK’s air traffic control system led to extensive flight disruptions across major airports on Wednesday. The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) reported that a radar-related problem had paused all departures from key airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, for several hours. The problem was eventually resolved, and operations resumed as NATS confirmed that systems were “fully operational” again, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

The disruption lasted over four hours, causing considerable inconvenience for thousands of travelers. Heathrow Airport stated that it was advising passengers to check with their airlines due to ongoing delays and cancellations, while Edinburgh and London City airports also reported operational difficulties, as noted by South China Morning Post and BBC.

By Thursday, follow-up reports indicated continued cancellations at various airports, including over 16 flights at Heathrow alone, prompting calls from Ryanair’s COO for accountability from NATS leadership, particularly after repeated incidents of similar technical failures. NATS is under scrutiny as the aviation sector grapples with the ramifications of these outages, having previously faced a significant malfunction in August 2023 that had similar impacts, as reported by Reuters and Reuters.