Gatwick flights hit by UK-wide air traffic control technical issue
Flights departing from Gatwick Airport have been disrupted, after a technical issue with the UK's air traffic control system.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it was investigating a problem which was causing disruption to flight departures across the UK.
At around 2.15pm on Tuesday (September 8), NATS said: “We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures. Our engineers are on site and we will provide an update as soon as we can.”
It later apologised for the disruption and advised passengers to check with their airline for the latest information.
Gatwick Airport confirmed at 3.25pm that it was affected.
A post on social media read: “We are aware of a NATS technical issue that is currently affecting a number of UK airports, including London Gatwick.
"Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.”
The issue has also reportedly affected other major UK airports, including Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester.
Passengers travelling from Gatwick are being advised to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before travelling.
This comes just days after planes were grounded at Gatwick Airport.
Flights were brought to a standstill, for nearly an hour – on Friday afternoon (September 4) – after a plane became stuck on the runway.
Flightradar24 said a Norse 787 – headed for JFK Airport in New York – ‘performed a rejected takeoff’ before becoming ‘disabled on the runway’.
Gatwick Airport confirmed the runway has reopened.
A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: “The runway was closed for 50 minutes this afternoon (Friday 4 September) due to a technical issue with a departing aircraft.
“The aircraft was towed from the runway, which reopened shortly afterwards following a full safety inspection.
"As always, safety and security is our number one priority.”