Arsenal's journey to face Napoli in their Champions League fixture was significantly disrupted Tuesday due to a widespread technical failure in the UK's air traffic control system. The issue led to the cancellation of Mikel Arteta's pre-match press conference in Naples, as the team's flight to Italy faced delays.
Planes were grounded at most major UK airports on Tuesday, resulting in nearly 300 flight cancellations and impacting thousands of travelers, including the Premier League champions. Arsenal's squad was not expected to arrive in Naples until 9:30 PM local time, having remained at their London Colney training ground while awaiting resolution of the air traffic control problem.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed an issue with its "flight processing system" and stated that "recovery will take some time" but that a fix had been implemented. NATS, which provides air traffic control services for 15 UK airports, did not disclose the cause of the failure but indicated there was no current evidence of a cyber incident.
In a separate development for the club, defender Jurrien Timber is reportedly set to be included in the squad for the match. Timber has been sidelined since May, with his last appearance coming in the Champions League final. Manager Mikel Arteta had previously indicated the player was in good condition and nearing a return.
Napoli has secured three points from their opening three league games. Their squad includes former Premier League players, though Scott McTominay will be unavailable for the match as he is recovering from corrective heart surgery.