Summary

  • Flights in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England are disrupted due to a "technical issue" with air traffic control

  • National Air Traffic Services (Nats) says engineers are dealing with the issue at the Prestwick Centre, which handles air traffic control across Scotland and the north of England

  • It also says the glitch is not related to a software defect that led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights across the UK earlier this month

  • EasyJet - one of the airlines affected by today's issue - says this "once again calls into questions the resilience of Nats' systems"

  • Lewis Fraser, from Inverness, is stuck on the runway at Glasgow Airport. "We boarded the flight as normal but were immediately told we were delayed... Some passengers have left the plane," he tells us

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Live Reporting

Edited by Imogen James and Charlotte Hadfield

  1. Growing list of cancellations at Glasgow Airport

    Paul Ward
    Reporting from Glasgow Airport

    When I arrived at Glasgow Airport this morning there was a tannoy call announcing an easyJet flight to Paris was cancelled.

    That adds to a growing list. The departures board shows further cancellations on flights to Luton, Southampton, Belfast and Derry.

    There are also some cancellations on flights to Scottish islandsand other flights are facing delays in taking off.

    Some passengers have been coming through on arrival flights, but again the board shows widespread delays to both domestic and international flights through the day.

  2. EasyJet: Disruption once again calls into question resilience of Nats’ systems

    The tail of an easyjet plane which has an orange wing and white bodyGetty Images

    EasyJet says the flight disruption "calls into question the resilience of Nats' systems".

    The airline says in a statement the failure in the Prestwick Centre is causing delays, with some flights "unable to operate".

    “This, once again, calls into question the resilience of Nats’ systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures."

    It adds they will do "all we can" to minimise the impact on customers and advises passengers check their flight tracker for the latest information.

    It comes after an earlier disruption this month, caused by a "software defect" that left 2000 flights cancelled.

  3. Schedules across 11 airports in Highlands and Islands affected

    Highlands and Islands Airports says all 11 of the airports it runs are affected by the technical issue.

    "A technical issue is impacting flight schedules across all of our airports. Please contact your airline for the latest update," an update says, posted across on the social media accounts of its airports:

    • Inverness
    • Dundee
    • Stornaway
    • Barra
    • Benbecula
    • Campbeltown
    • Islay
    • Kirkwall
    • Tiree
    • Sumburgh
    • Wick John O'Groats

  4. 'We boarded the flight as normal but were immediately told we were delayed'

    Catherine Lyst
    BBC Scotland

    Lewis Fraser on board a flight that is stuck on the runway at Glasgow Airport

    Lewis Fraser, from Inverness, is stuck on the runway at Glasgow Airport.

    He had been hoping to make a connection flight to Chicago from Heathrow.

    "We boarded the flight as normal but were immediately told we were delayed," he says. "The latest update was around half an hour ago to say we might be waiting another hour and 45 minutes."

    He adds: "Some passengers have left the plane in the last few minutes. I’m on the 8am to Heathrow and due to fly to Chicago for work at 12:15 but that now looks unlikely... they’ve given us tea and snacks."

  5. Edinburgh reports delays as Ryanair blames Nats 'equipment failure'

    A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport says:

    "We are experiencing some delays due to the Nats issue at Prestwick Centre.

    "We are monitoring the situation closely and are working with Nats as they work to resolve the issue."

    A spokesperson for Ryanair says they have been notified of a Nats "equipment failure" affecting airspace above Scotland and northern England.

  6. Delays and cancellations in Northern Ireland

    Abigail Taylor
    BBC Northern Ireland

    Belfast International Airport has posted on Facebook to remind passengers to check with their airlines about flight information.

    Arrivals and departures board show some delays but no cancellations yet.

    Belfast City Airport shows several arrivals and departures cancelled including flights to and from Manchester, Amsterdam, London City and, later on towards lunchtime, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

    Meanwhile, City of Derry has departures and arrivals from Glasgow cancelled.

    The departure board at Belfast City airport a short time ago

    The departure board at Belfast City airport a short time ago

  7. Delays of up to one hour at Manchester

    The Manchester Airports Group says there have been delays of up to an hour on some flights at Manchester, with no cancellations so far.

    There have also been a few delays at East Midlands airport, which the group also runs. The company says passengers should check with airlines before they travel.

    The previous statement from National Air Traffic Services (Nats) says "airports south of Manchester are broadly unaffected".

  8. Airports south of Manchester 'broadly unaffected'
    Breaking

    Here's a new statement from Nats, the air traffic control service:

    "Our engineers are continuing to investigate the issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland," it says.

    "Airports south of Manchester are broadly unaffected, however flights heading north and flights departing Scottish airports are currently subject to some delay.

    "Passengers should check with their airlines. This is unrelated to the issue two weeks ago. We apologise for the disruption."

    This is a breaking story, we'll have more details soon.

  9. Flight delays in Scotland and Northern Ireland after air traffic control problems
    Breaking

    Passengers at airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland are facing delays this morning after an air traffic control problem.

    A spokesman for National Air Traffic Services (Nats) says:

    "We are investigating a technical issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland.

    "To maintain safety, air traffic regulations have been applied to manage traffic demand.

    "Engineers are on site investigating and working to resolve the issue. The issue is unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier this month.

    "We apologise for the disruption and any delays to passengers' journeys. Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information on their flight."

    We’ll have more on this story as it develops from our teams across the UK.