Flights experienced disruptions across Scotland and northern England on Monday morning due to a technical issue at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) air traffic control centre in Prestwick, Scotland.
NATS engineers are investigating the problem, with airports south of Manchester largely unaffected. However, flights heading north and those departing Scottish airports faced delays. Passengers were advised to check with their airlines for the most current information. A NATS spokesperson confirmed this incident is unrelated to a previous disruption that occurred two weeks prior and apologized for the inconvenience.
London City Airport acknowledged the disruption stemming from the issue at NATS Prestwick, stating they were monitoring the situation and collaborating with NATS. The airport's staff remained available to assist travelers.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which operates airports including Dundee, Inverness, and Islay, reported that flight schedules were impacted across all its facilities. The company directed passengers to contact their airlines for updates.
This latest disruption follows a significant air traffic control issue on September 8, which led to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights at major airports like London Heathrow and Gatwick. A preliminary NATS investigation into that incident identified a fault in the software responsible for allocating aircraft codes as the cause, ruling out incorrect actions. That earlier fault resulted in the cancellation of flights in and out of the UK, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers, with disruption extending into the following day.
Following the September 8 incident, NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe faced calls for his resignation, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander deemed the disruption "completely unacceptable." Previously, a radar-related issue in July caused an air traffic control failure that disrupted thousands of passengers and led to over 160 flight cancellations. In August 2023, a NATS technical glitch while processing a flight plan grounded flights at UK airports, causing disruption for more than 700,000 passengers.