Passengers travelling through Scottish airports face further disruption today as airlines work to recover from an air traffic control failure that led to more than 1,000 flights being cancelled across the UK on Tuesday.
Services at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were affected by the fault, with travellers warned to check their flight status as the aviation network recovers. Although the technical problem has been resolved, the backlog has left airlines struggling to restore schedules.
Air traffic control provider NATS identified a problem in its flight processing system on Tuesday afternoon. Engineers implemented a fix at 4.40pm, but the organisation later acknowledged that recovery had taken longer than expected.
By 7.30pm, NATS said its system was operating normally and work was continuing to clear the backlog. Its final update on Tuesday evening warned that the consequences would take time to resolve.
“This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network,” it said.
In Scotland, almost 60% of Edinburgh Airport flights were delayed at one point on Tuesday afternoon, according to tracking service Flightradar24.
AGS Airports, which operates Glasgow and Aberdeen airports, confirmed that services arriving and departing could be delayed. It advised passengers to contact their airline for up-to-date information before travelling.
Glasgow Prestwick also warned of possible delays and cancellations, while airports in the Highlands and Islands reported significant delays to London services during Tuesday’s disruption.
British Airways said it had cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights, with aircraft and crews left out of position. Ryanair reported that more than 65,000 passengers had been affected and more than 50 scheduled flights cancelled.
The failure has prompted renewed criticism of NATS. Ryanair called for chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign, while Wizz Air demanded reform of the organisation.
The Civil Aviation Authority has requested a full report into the incident and will consider whether further action is required.
Passengers due to fly on Wednesday 9 September are being urged to check directly with their airline for the latest position. NATS has apologised for the disruption and said it is continuing to help airports and airlines recover.