Flights delayed across UK by new air traffic control failure

A ‘technical issue’ with air traffic control (ATC) has caused widespread disruption to flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England – just weeks after another glitch caused travel chaos. The National Air Traffic Service (Nats), which provides ATC for 15 airports, said engineers had been called to deal with an issue at its Prestwick centre, which handles air traffic control in Scotland and the north of England. So far, dozens of flights have been cancelled. Shorts A Nats spokesperson said: “We are investigating a technical issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland. To maintain safety, air traffic regulations have been applied to manage traffic demand.” It comes just two weeks after 425 flights from UK airports were cancelled following an issue within Nats. Which airports are affected? Delays have been reported at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dundee, Benbecula and Belfast airports. A Nats spokesperson said: “Airports south of Manchester are broadly unaffected, however flights heading north and flights departing Scottish airports are currently subject to some delay.” However, London City airport posted on its social media page: “We are experiencing some disruption due to an issue at @NATS Prestwick. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with Nats they resolve the issue.” Airlines criticise ‘repeated failures’ A British Airways spokesperson said: “Yet another technical fault with Nats means some of our customers are likely to experience disruption to their travel plans today. This is disappointing, and whilst it is an issue that is entirely out of our control, we’re doing everything we can to limit the impact on customers and are keeping them updated.” a spokesperson for EasyJet said: “A Nats Air Traffic Control system failure in its Prestwick centre is causing delays to flights with some unable to operate. This, once again, calls into question the resilience of Nats’ systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures.” This is a developing story and will be updated…