Heathrow and Gatwick among airports hit by air traffic control problems

Departures from a number of UK airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, have been affected by a technical problem affecting the air traffic control provider Nats.

At Heathrow, departures were initially paused around lunchtime. Traffic then resumed, before facing further stop-start disruption in the afternoon. Incoming flights have been landing as normal.

Gatwick said it was currently being affected by the issue, along with other airports. East Midlands has also been affected by the issue, while Manchester Airport warned that some departing flights could be delayed.

Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights.

In a statement, Nats said it was investigating the issue, which the BBC understands has not yet been resolved.

“We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system. Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible,” Nats said in a statement.

The body apologised for the delays caused and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline. Nats said it would provide updates on www.nats.aero and X.

Edinburgh Airport said in a post on X that the issue might affect its operations.