A technical glitch in the UK's air traffic control system on Tuesday led to widespread flight disruptions, resulting in the cancellation of approximately 1,100 flights to and from UK airports, impacting tens of thousands of travelers.
By 8 PM local time, 1,055 flights had been canceled, according to the flight tracking website 'Flightradar24'.
The UK's air traffic control authority reported that while the issue has been resolved and operations have returned to normal, recovery from the glitch's aftermath took longer than expected.
In a statement posted on 'X', the authority stated, "We are working as hard as possible to reduce the backlog," and extended apologies to travelers for the disruptions.
The disruptions affected London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports, as well as airports in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Edinburgh, with repercussions extending to Dublin Airport in Ireland, where dozens of flights were canceled.
British Airways announced the cancellation or rerouting of more than 100 flights, impacting tens of thousands of its passengers.
Ryanair reported that over 65,000 of its passengers were affected by the disruptions, with over 50 flights canceled.
The glitch also affected football, as Arsenal had to cancel a press conference scheduled ahead of its Champions League match against Napoli, due to the team's delayed flight to Italy.
UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated she is seeking assurances that lessons will be learned from the incident and that the systems supporting the aviation sector can fulfill their required roles.