Airports across the United Kingdom—including Manchester, Birmingham and all those in London—experienced problems at air traffic control on Tuesday, which continued into Wednesday.
A technical issue was announced shortly before 2 pm and was resolved around three hours later. By that time, hundreds of flights had been cancelled, causing knock‑on disruption across Britain and at destination airports abroad.
On Wednesday the total number of cancellations exceeded 1 900 after hundreds more flights were axed that morning. Below is an explanation of what you can expect if you have been affected.
Is your flight delayed or cancelled?
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) explains how long a delay must be before passengers are entitled to care and assistance from their airline while they wait. The required duration varies by flight distance. This assistance should include food and drink, telephone or email access, and, if the flight is delayed until the next day, accommodation and necessary transfers.
Many airlines provide vouchers for food and drink, and overnight accommodation is typically arranged at a nearby hotel (or, if you live close by, the airline may reimburse travel to and from home). If airline staff cannot arrange care for all passengers, you can arrange it yourself and claim reimbursement later—keep receipts, as airlines are unlikely to consider alcoholic drinks, luxury hotels or luxury meals as reasonable expenses.
If a flight is cancelled and falls under UK law—that is, a flight departing from a UK airport on any airline, arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an EU airport on a UK airline—the airline must offer you a choice of another flight or a refund. You may choose to fly as soon as possible or at a later date. If the delay exceeds five hours, you may opt not to travel and receive a refund.
I am due to fly imminently – should I still go to the airport?
If you are scheduled to travel on Wednesday, check the latest updates from your airport, tour operator or airline apps and the airport’s social media feeds for the most current information.
The air traffic control provider Nats advised that it would “take some time” to rectify the problem. Around 5 pm on Tuesday it posted on social media that it had “implemented a fix and our flight system is starting to recover.” The impact on flight schedules could take time to resolve.
Will I be entitled to compensation from the airline?
If your flight was cancelled or delayed as a result of Tuesday’s technical issue, you are unlikely to be owed compensation, as the disruption will be considered an extraordinary circumstance beyond the airline’s control. Other examples of uncontrollable disruption include severe weather and security alerts.
Anna‑Marie Duthie, a travel insurance expert at Defaqto, says: “Travel insurance may cover you if you cannot claim costs back from the airline, operator, or credit card, but that will depend on whether your policy includes cover for delay, travel disruption, missed connection or abandonment.”
