Alleged “technical problems” hit the UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) services and caused chaos in the management of European airspace last Monday, forcing the UK service to restrict the flow of aircraft and manually enter flight plans. feed. The issue prompted several airlines and airports to warn of flight delays and cancellations across Europe. .
“We are currently experiencing a technical issue and we are implementing restrictions on traffic flow to maintain safety. Engineers are working to identify and correct the outage,” NATS clarified in a statement quoted by Reuters, without confirming. that the problems were resolved. on a computer attack and added that British airspace was not closed.
NATS said the issue affects the ability to automatically process flight plans.
A spokesman for London’s Heathrow Airport, Western Europe’s busiest, said the airport is working with NATS and other airport partners to minimize the impact on passengers, while South London’s Gatwick warned multiple cancellations were likely.
British Airways also announced it was working closely with NATS to understand the impact, while other airlines, including Ryanair, said some flights to and from the UK will have to be delayed or cancelled.
Restrictions were also recognized by Manchester, London Stansted, London Luton and Birmingham airports, as well as Dublin Airport in Ireland.
Many passengers took to social media to say they were trapped in planes on the runway waiting to take off, or trapped in airport terminals in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Israel and elsewhere on what is traditionally a busy travel day as the school holidays approach. to an end.
Source: DN
