A radar systems failure caused the air traffic outage on Wednesday, officials have said, as flight delay chaos could continue for days.
The “glitch” left air traffic controllers with a patchy picture of the airspace as software that is supposed to relay information to their screens broke down.
Sources said safety restrictions were “immediately” put in place by bosses at the National Air Traffic Service (Nats), which is in charge of UK airspace. Within 20 minutes of the initial collapse, a back-up system was reportedly put online and continues to be used as investigations into the shutdown continue.
A source told The Times: “This was a genuine software error and the back-up systems worked as they should. They run a different programme so there is no chance of the same issue happening twice.”
The revelation comes as transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the disruption was an “isolated event” and urged passengers to “check with individual airports for advice”.
The technical glitch already caused more than 150 cancellations on Wednesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across Europe as planes were diverted.
Nats has said its systems are fully operational again and air traffic capacity is returning to normal – but there was a backlog of flights following the outage, with many delayed.
Have you been affected by the air traffic control shutdown? If so, please email holly.evans@independent.co.uk
UK air traffic control outage: Key points
- Software 'system glitch caused shutdown', according to reports
- Delays could last for days, warn transport secretary
- UK suffers more flight cancellations on Thursday after air traffic failure
- Disruption was an 'isolated event' with no sign of 'malign activity'
- Simon Calder: Thousands of passengers stranded as travel chaos grips UK
Insurance expert explains what customers facing disruption should do
15:20 , Rebecca WhittakerAlex Cross, chief customer officer at Tesco Insurance, explained what customers facing disruption should be looking at in terms of reimbursement.
He said: “Flight delays and cancellations can range from minor annoyances to holiday-ruining events. Your first point of contact should always be the airline, as they are best equipped to provide information and make arrangements for your journey, whether it's getting you home or to your destination.
“In situations where the disruption is beyond the airline's control, and you're unable to travel or are stranded at your destination, travel insurance can offer valuable support. Beyond the flight itself, certain costs like non-refundable hotel stays, hire car expenses, or even pre-booked activity fees may be recoverable under specific circumstances. It's crucial to understand your insurance policy's coverage and to contact your insurer for more details.”
Air control boss hauled in for grilling from transport secretary amid calls for him to resign after airports chaos
15:00 , Rebecca Whittaker
Air control boss hauled in for grilling from minister as he faces calls to resign
'Only a relatively small number of flights were cancelled,' says economist
14:40 , Rebecca WhittakerA relatively small number of flights were cancelled as a result of the radar systems failure.
That’s according to quick analysis by Stephen Rooney, Lead Economist at Tourism Economics.
He told the Independent: "To put it in context, flight cancellations last July represented around 1.6% of total flights in to/from UK airports for that month. Assuming a similar cancellation rate for this July, plus additional cancellations yesterday, the cancellation rate for the month as a whole would be marginally higher than last July (approx. 1.6% vs. 1.7%). As such, we see there being a limited impact on summer travel.
"However, this in combination with previous similar incidents (i.e., August 2023, albeit the magnitude of this was bigger) could weigh on traveller confidence which in turn could affect the UK's destination competitiveness and market share. These impacts are more challenging to quantify but worth mentioning."
Flights are 'operating as normal' following NATS failure
14:00 , Rebecca WhittakerEasyJet has told the Independent their schedule has been operating normally today.
It comes after a failure at Nats, the main air traffic control provider, led to dozens of diversions and cancellations – particularly affecting London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
68-year-old who missed wedding due to a cancelled flight said it was 'discraceful'
13:56 , Rebecca WhittakerA woman who will miss a wedding because her flight was cancelled by an air traffic control failure said what happened was "disgraceful".
Monica Clare, 68, from Brentford, west London, was onboard an Aer Lingus plane preparing to take off from Heathrow for Shannon, Ireland, on Thursday afternoon when the problem began.
She said the plane remained on the tarmac for about three hours before the captain announced his "shift was going to finish" so the passengers would need to return to the terminal.
Ms Clare said the situation inside Heathrow was "bedlam", with "suitcases everywhere".
But with available seats on flights that would get her to the wedding on time, she went home.
"It's disgraceful. I think it's absolutely unbelievable in this day and age that something that went down for 20 minutes has caused havoc like that all over the country.
"I'm so upset, I'm so angry,” she said.
EasyJet operating officer 'disappointed' at failure
13:40 , Rebecca WhittakerReferring to a glitch that affected more than 700,000 passengers two years ago, EasyJet's chief operating officer David Morgan said: "It's extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel.
"While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from NATS what steps they are taking to ensure issues don't continue."
Watch: Major air traffic control outage grounds flights across the UK
13:20 , Rebecca WhittakerRyanair calls for NATS chief to resign
13:02 , Holly EvansRyanair called for Nats’ chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign in the wake of the fault, claiming “no lessons have been learnt” since the August 2023 system outage.
The airline’s chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of Nats.
“Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace, meaning thousands of passengers’ travel plans have been disrupted.
“It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 Nats system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe’s incompetence.”
More than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports on August 28 2023 when Nats suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan.
Mr McMahon continued: “If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest Nats system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK transport minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats’ shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.”
Travellers delayed include man attending his brother's wedding
12:15 , Holly EvansAmong those disrupted yesterday was John Carr, 35, from Stourbridge, who was on his way to his brother’s wedding in Norway.
"We’ve got the wedding rehearsal to do. It’s quite stressful," he said.
His friend James Hedges, also from Stourbridge, says: “We were in the departures lounge, and we were literally sitting down having a burger when it came up on the [screen].
"Our flight was still showing as if it was leaving, and they were waiting to give us a gate and said that would be given at 16:45pm. When that time came around, it then switched to cancelled."
He adds there was "no warning" from the airport or the airline that it was cancelled, describing the situation as "rubbish". "There’s nothing we can do," he adds.
What caused the air traffic outage?
11:54 , Holly EvansThousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not intend to be after the temporary shutdown of UK airspace on Wednesday.
The latest failure at Nats, the main air traffic control provider, led to dozens of diversions and cancellations – particularly affecting London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
British Airways has cancelled a number of flights this morning to Heathrow, while easyJet says it has been rebooking disrupted passengers on alternative flights after multiple cancellations. Ryanair has once again called for the resignation of the Nats chief executive.
Read the full explainer from our travel correspondent Simon Calder here:
What caused the air traffic outage? Airlines ‘disappointed’ after passengers stranded
Air traffic disruption caused by 'radar-related issue'
11:38 , Holly EvansA "radar-related issue" caused the air traffic control (ATC) failure that grounded flights across the UK on Wednesday, officials have said.
It comes as airlines demand an explanation for what happened, with Nats chief executive holding a meeting with transport secretary Heidi Alexander.
A spokesperson for Nats said: "This was a radar-related issue which was resolved by quickly switching to the back-up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety.
"There is no evidence that this was cyber related."
Transport secretary urges passengers to check with airlines
11:23 , Holly EvansDespite flights resuming, the transport secretary has urged passengers to check with their airlines before making their journeys as the knock-on effect continues from Wednesday’s air traffic systems failure.
Heidi Alexander said: “I know that any disruption is frustrating for passengers.
“Flights are now resumed and I am grateful to airlines who are working hard to get people to where they need to be. I will continue to receive regular updates.
“Passengers should check with airlines before travelling.”
Disruption was an 'isolated event' with no sign of 'malign activity'
11:10 , Holly EvansThe disruption across the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) which saw 150 flights grounded was an “isolated event”, the transport secretary has said.
In a post on social media, Heid Alexander said: “I have spoken with @NATS CEO Martin Rolfe who provided further detail on yesterday’s technical fault. This was an isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity.”
I have spoken with @NATS CEO Martin Rolfe who provided further detail on yesterday’s technical fault. This was an isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity.
— Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 31, 2025
Full story: Air control boss hauled in for grilling from transport secretary amid calls for him to resign after airports chaos
10:45 , Tara CobhamThe head of the UK’s air traffic control firm has been called in for a meeting with the transport secretary after a fault left tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers facing grounded flights on Wednesday.
Passengers across Europe were stranded during the peak holiday season when planes were cancelled and diverted – with some turning around mid-air to return to their departure cities – because of a 20 minute glitch.
And Heidi Alexander has called an urgent meeting with National Air Traffic Services (NATS) boss Martin Rolfe to discuss his handling of the chaos.
Political correspondent Archie Mitchell has the full story:
Air control boss hauled in for grilling from minister as he faces calls to resign
Software 'system glitch caused shutdown', according to reports
10:28 , Tara CobhamA “software glitch” with the radar systems was the cause of the air traffic control systems failure on Wednesday, according to reports.
Sources told The Times that air traffic controllers were left with a patchy picture of the airspace after software that is supposed to relay information to their screens broke down.
The newspaper reported that restrictions were “immediately” put in place by bosses at Nats, which is in charge of UK airspace, as they prioritised safety.
Within 20 minutes of the initial collapse, a back-up system was reportedly put online and continues to be used as investigations into the shutdown continue.
A source told The Times: “This was a genuine software error and the back-up systems worked as they should. They run a different programme so there is no chance of the same issue happening twice.”
The Independent has approached Nats for comment.
UK suffers more flight cancellations after air traffic failure
10:15 , Tara CobhamNearly two dozen flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Thursday, a day after technical problems with Britain's air traffic control system caused widespread disruption across the country.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which provides air traffic control services for planes flying in UK airspace and the eastern part of the North Atlantic, said on Wednesday its systems were fully operational with capacity returning to normal after it switched to a back-up system.
The second outage in recent years at NATS also affected Gatwick Airport near London, Edinburgh Airport in Scotland, and other locations, resulting in 122 cancellations as of 6.30pm GMT on Wednesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
NATS is working closely with airlines and airports to clear the backlog, Alexander wrote on social media platform X. Across UK airports, 12 departures and 11 arrivals had been cancelled on Thursday as of 7.30am GMT, according to Cirium.
At least 16 flights, including departures to Brussels and Toronto and arrivals from New York and Berlin, had been cancelled at Heathrow Airport, according to its website.
Explained: What rights do you have to compensation for cancelled flights?
10:00 , Tara CobhamFlights departing the UK could face days of disruption after a “technical issue” at an air traffic control centre caused more than 150 cancellations on Wednesday (30 July).
Travellers may be entitled to care while they wait – but not, as this was beyond the control of airlines, compensation. But your rights depend on where your flight begins and the airline involved.
For all flights from the UK and EU airports (as well as those in the wider EEA), European air passengers’ rights rules prevail. These were introduced in 2006 and are known as EC261. After Brexit, the UK copied and pasted the same regulations into British law as UK261.
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder explains:
UK flight delays: What rights do you have over cancelled flights?
Delays stretch to 20 hours for some passengers
09:47 , Tara CobhamThe Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
The knock-on effects of the air-traffic control failure on Wednesday are continuing. EasyJet passengers from Chania in Crete to London Gatwick whose flight was diverted to Zurich had to spend the night in the Swiss city because the crew ran out of hours. They are expected to fly back at lunchtime, around 20 hours late. The aircraft was due to be operating the 6am departure from Gatwick to Lanzarote, which has been delayed for nine hours – along with the inbound flight.
Hundreds of passengers on British Airways flights from various parts of Europe are still waiting to be flown home. Outbound flights from London Heathrow to Prague and Olbia were so late on Wednesday that they could not operate back to the UK. They will be flying in on Thursday afternoon, along with a British Airways flight from Tirana that diverted outbound to Frankfurt due to a medical emergency.
Explained: What caused the air traffic outage?
09:45 , Tara CobhamThousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not intend to be after the temporary shutdown of UK airspace on Wednesday.
The latest failure at Nats, the main air traffic control provider, led to dozens of diversions and cancellations – particularly affecting London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
British Airways has cancelled a number of flights this morning to Heathrow, while easyJet says it has been rebooking disrupted passengers on alternative flights after multiple cancellations. Ryanair has once again called for the resignation of the Nats chief executive.
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder addresses the key questions and answers:
What caused the air traffic outage? Airlines ‘disappointed’ after passengers stranded
What are the airlines saying?
09:13 , Simon CalderEasyJet, Britain's biggest budget airline, says it is “extremely disappointed” with another failure of air-traffic control.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, has once again demanded that Martin Rolfe, chief executive of Nats, must resign. Ryanair’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, said: “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of Nats.
“Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers’ travel plans have been disrupted. It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August Nats system outage and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe’s incompetence.”
He said if the Nats CEO did not resign, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, should remove him. Ms Alexander will speak to Mr Rolfe on Thursday.
Minister declines to say if Nats chief will be fired
08:56 , Holly EvansA minister has declined to say whether Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe will be sacked after a failure affecting the air traffic management system.
Asked whether Mr Rolfe will be “fired”, Gareth Thomas told Times Radio: “Well, I think the first thing is to find out what went wrong, and that’s why the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is going to be summoning the chief executive.”
The business minister had earlier said: “I’m extremely concerned to see so many passengers having their flights cancelled and their holidays delayed.
Departures at all airports resumed yesterday and @NATS are working closely with airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely and look after passengers. I will be meeting the NATS Chief Executive today to understand what happened and how we can prevent reoccurrence. https://t.co/1SXZscKttN
— Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 31, 2025
“I would encourage people to get in contact with their airline carrier and the airports if their flights are still being delayed.
“We are summoning – the Transport Secretary (Heidi Alexander) is summoning – in today the chief executive of of Nats to help us get to the bottom of what went wrong yesterday.
“Clearly, an incident happened two years ago and measures were taken then. It looks like those measures weren’t enough but we need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, and conversations will take place today.”
Cancellations continue on Thursday
08:47 , Simon CalderPassengers flying to and from Heathrow and Gatwick have been worst affected by the latest Nats failure. Heathrow is the world’s busiest two-runway airport.
British Airways, which has more than half the slots at Heathrow is particularly susceptible to disruption.
BA cancelled 10 outbound departures on Wednesday, along with the same number of inbound flights. The airline has grounded a further six flights to and from Heathrow on Thursday.
Passengers due to arrive at Heathrow from Taipei on China Airlines are still stranded in Frankfurt, where their plane diverted on Wednesday. The crew ran "out of hours", and were unable to continue to London when the skies reopened.
The biggest airline at Gatwick, easyJet, grounded 20 departures on Wednesday as a result of the air-traffic control failure: to Antalya, Paphos, Heraklion, Naples, Geneva, Larnaca, Murcia, Alicante, Gibraltar and Belfast International, as well as the inbound flights.
At Manchester, easyJet cancelled 10 arrivals and departures, including links to and from Rhodes, Tenerife and Enfidha in Tunisia.
'Unrealistic' for air traffic systems not to have glitches, former air boss says
08:36 , Holly EvansIt is “unrealistic” to expect an air traffic management system where there is no technical failure, a former industry chief has said.
More than 150 flights were cancelled in the UK on Wednesday following a technical glitch in an air traffic control system from the provider Nats.
Graham Lake, former director general of air traffic management industry association Canso, told the BBC’s Today programme: “There are technical failures in all industries … I’m a regular rail user, certainly there are signal failures practically every day, so we accept technical failures.
“Radio programmes go off the air occasionally, technical failures are inevitable; the point is that you have to … plan the contingency and make sure that the operation remains safe and effective.
“If you look at the minutes of outage over a period of years, your availability – system availability – is, frankly, very, very good. So, I think it’s unrealistic to expect a system where you have no technical failure.”
He added: “The failure yesterday was short and sweet, if you like, the recovery was quick – aircraft were operating again very, very quickly.”
Passengers express frustration after dozens of flights cancelled
08:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarPassengers and industry leaders expressed frustration after dozens of UK flights were cancelled or diverted, causing major disruption yesterday.
“I’m feeling pretty angry,” Sarah McPherson, whose son missed his chance to compete with England’s under-15 boys international touch rugby team in Ireland, told the BBC.
“He is so very disappointed and at this stage we don’t know if there will be another flight,” she added.
Jonathan Carr from Stourbridge described the situation as “stressful” after his flight to Norway for his brother’s wedding was cancelled, though he hoped to reach Bodo by late Thursday.
“It’s really frustrating,” said Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership.
“We need to ensure there’s sufficient resilience built into critical infrastructure that doesn’t impact businesses, that doesn’t impact travellers.”
Transport Secretary to meet NATS CEO today
08:05 , Kate Devlin, Whitehall EditorThe Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to meet the boss of Britain’s air traffic control service, NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, later, as disruption continues at airports.
It follows the brief Air Traffic Control outage on Wednesday, which lasted only around 20 minutes but left flights grounded and diverted.
It’s understood she will probe him on what happened and how a reoccurrence can be prevented
What rights do you have to compensation for cancelled flights?
08:00 , Alex CroftTravellers may be entitled to care while they wait – but not, as this was beyond the control of airlines, compensation. But your rights depend on where your flight begins and the airline involved.
For all flights from the UK and EU airports (as well as those in the wider EEA), European air passengers’ rights rules prevail. These were introduced in 2006 and are known as EC261. After Brexit, the UK copied and pasted the same regulations into British law as UK261.
The rules were devised to require airlines to do the right thing for their passengers. They specify the care and compensation you can expect when your plane is cancelled or heavily delayed.
Travel correspondent Simon Calder writes:
UK flights suspended: What rights do you have over cancelled flights?
Delays could last for days, warn transport secretary
07:44 , Tom WatlingFlights could be delayed for days to come after a technical glitch caused more than 150 cancellations yesterday, the transport secretary has warned.
Heidi Alexander said “continued disruption is expected” and urged passengers to “check with individual airports for advice” after thousands of passengers were left stranded across Europe as planes were diverted, some returning to their departure cities.
It comes at a perilous time for the airlines and airports, with the busiest day of the year for travellers expected on Friday.
EasyJet slams 'another air-traffic control failure
07:30 , Alex CroftThe Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder writes:
Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, has attacked the air-traffic control (ATC) service, Nats, for "once again causing disruption".
David Morgan, easyJet’s chief operating officer, said: “It’s extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel. While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from Nats what steps they are taking to ensure issues don’t continue.”
The airline cancelled at least 16 flights to and from its main base, London Gatwick. Passengers were told: “An earlier technical issue at the Nats air-traffic control centre today has been causing disruption to flights to and from the UK.
“We are advising customers travelling this evening to check our Flight Tracker for the most up to date information on their flight and are contacting all impacted customers directly. While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the ATC failure.”
Lib Dems call for full investigation into air traffic control glitch
07:00 , Alex CroftA full investigation into Wednesday’s air traffic control glitch must be launched, the Liberal Democrats said.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault.
“With thousands of families preparing to go on a well-earned break, this just isn’t good enough.
“The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause.
“The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.”
Watch: Major air traffic control outage grounds flights across the UK
06:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarAir traffic control should be far more robust, says British couple stranded in Malta
06:00 , Alex CroftJohn and Julie Rusher were stranded in Malta Airport as they wait for a flight from Birmingham to arrive before it takes them back to the Midlands.
The plane left Birmingham two hours late, Mr Rusher said.
“Our delay will be at least 2 and a half hours and that doesn't account for any lingering air traffic control issues at Birmingham on our return,” he adds.
“We are experienced travellers and we are comfortable and having something to eat. This is the 3rd Ryanair flight in 10 weeks with air traffic control delays. Yet I can order a meal to my table with my phone.
“I believe air traffic control should be the most robust system commercially and for security and safety. Clearly is isn't at this busy time of the year.”
Shortly before 9pm UK time, Mr Rusher sent an update to confirm the pair were boarding the flight. Flights to Manchester and Gatwick were also leaving, he said.
Head of UK’s air traffic control provider under pressure to resign
05:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarThe head of the UK’s air traffic control provider, Nats, is under pressure to resign after another technical failure disrupted hundreds of flights on Wednesday — the second such incident in two years.
The glitch caused delays nationwide and forced airlines like British Airways to limit flight operations.
Ryanair called for Nats CEO Martin Rolfe to step down, blaming him for repeated failures. The airline’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, said: “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of Nats.
“Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers’ travel plans have been disrupted. It is clear that no lessons have been learned since the August 2023 Nats system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe’s incompetence.”
Flights resume at UK airports after technical glitch
05:00 , Maroosha MuzaffarFlights have now resumed at UK airports after a technical glitch in the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) systems caused more than 150 cancellations on Wednesday.
NATS said the radar-related issue was detected at 4.05pm and resolved within 20 minutes by switching to a backup system.
Despite the quick fix, airlines and passengers faced major disruption during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Ryanair’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, called the incident “utterly unacceptable” and demanded the resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, blaming “continued mismanagement” and a failure to learn from the August 2023 outage.
EasyJet’s David Morgan also criticised the repeat failure, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers.”
Although flights are departing again, airlines have urged passengers to check with their carriers before heading to the airport.
NATS has confirmed the issue was not cyber-related and stressed that safety procedures were followed throughout.
Airlines demand answers from air traffic controller Nats
04:30 , Maroosha MuzaffarAs of 10pm on Wednesday, 84 departures and 71 arrivals were cancelled at UK airports, with London’s Heathrow experiencing the highest number of disruptions.
Several incoming flights were also rerouted to cities across Europe, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
EasyJet’s chief operating officer, David Morgan, expressed frustration over the situation, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel. While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from Nats what steps they are taking to ensure issues don’t continue.”
Airlines are seeking answers from UK air traffic control provider Nats after a technical glitch led to over 150 flight cancellations, causing major disruption for thousands of passengers on Wednesday.
In pictures: Travellers stranded in Heathrow Airport
04:00 , Alex Croft
Man fears missing brothers wedding after flight cancellations
03:01 , Alex CroftA man whose plane was cancelled from Heathrow Airport after air traffic control provider Nats suffered a technical issue, said he was worried he would miss his brother’s wedding.
John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with a group of friends to help set up his brother’s wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in his flight was cancelled.
The 35-year-old told the PA news agency from outside Terminal 3 he was stressed.
He said: “I’m pretty gutted. We’ve got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we’re obviously flying to Norway. We’ve got the wedding rehearsal to do. It’s quite stressful.”
His friend James Hedges, also from Stourbridge, added: “We found out today; we’d already checked in and gone through the security checks.
“We were in the departures lounge, and we were literally sitting down having a burger when it came up on the (screen). Our flight was still showing as if it was leaving, and they were waiting to give us a gate and that that would be given at 4.45pm. When that time came around, it then switched to cancelled.”
Ryanair calls on Nats CEO to resign after system failure
02:01 , Alex CroftRyanair has called on Nats CEO Martin Rolfe to resign after a system failure has caused flight delays across the UK.
“It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of NATS. Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers’ travel plans have been disruptedm” said Ryanair COO Neal McMahon.
“It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the Aug’ 23 NATS system outage and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe’s incompetence.
“If NATS CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest NATS system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of NATS’s shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent NATS failures.”
Systems were down for just 20 minutes
01:00 , Alex CroftThe Independent’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin writes:
The disruption at British airports has been caused by systems being down for just 20 minutes, The Independent understands.
Passengers are experiencing major delays in the wake of the traffic control issues, which has seen planes grounded and planes diverted to other areas.
Travellers have been warned that continued disruption is expected and they should check with individual airports for advice.
Knock-on effects of air-traffic control shutdown at London City, Luton and Southend airports
Thursday 31 July 2025 00:44 , Alex CroftThe Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder writes:
Passengers on later flights on Wednesday face long delays as a result of the air-traffic control shutdown. For example, the afternoon flight from Lyon to Luton diverted to Paris CDG as a result of the UK airspace shutdown. It eventually arrived at 8.50pm, three hours behind schedule. The subsequent trip to Jersey was delayed three hours, with a correspondingly late return – instead of arriving at Luton from Jersey at 8.30pm, the expected time is close to midnight.
At Southend, easyJet’s flights from Faro was diverted to Bordeaux. An incoming plane from Gran Canaria ended up on the island of Jersey, and a round-trip to Amsterdam was cancelled.
London City airport was badly affected, with one British Airways flight from Glasgow returning to its starting place, and links to Rotterdam, Palma and Amsterdam cancelled.
