Thousands of passengers are left stranded after hundreds of flights have been cancelled due to a nationwide air traffic control failure, with Manchester Airport issuing a statement.
UK airspace was hit by a technical fault over the August Bank Holiday weekend, causing planes to remain grounded and over 35 flights at Manchester Airport to be cancelled on one of the busiest days of the year.
The technical fault began on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28th, with controllers having to input flight plans manually. It is believed the ‘chaos’ could last for days.
Lestocq / Wikimedia
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it was experiencing a ‘technical issue’ and had applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. It also said that the issues had been ‘identified and remedied’ and the failure would be investigated ‘very thoroughly’.
With the last week of the school summer holidays ahead, many travellers and families have been left stranded while the issue is resolved, leaving hundreds of cancelled flights in its wake.
At around 7pm last night, Manchester Airport issued a statement to keep passengers left stranded at its airport updated on the ongoing issue.
It said in a statement: “As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by NATS on Monday August 28th, there continues to be some delays and cancellations.
Riik@mtcr / Wikimedia
“Please check the status of your flight with your airline before travelling to the airport.
“As some flights are arriving and departing on slightly adjusted schedules, our terminals might be busier than anticipated, but our teams will be working with airlines and their handling agents to get you through the airport as smoothly as possible.
“We thank you for your understanding.”
Listed below are both the cancelled and delayed flights due to depart from Manchester Airport, on Tuesday August 29th, according to flightradar24.com.
Cancelled flights:
6.05am easyJet flight U22001 to Barcelona
6.30am Jet2 flight LS759 to Mahon
6.50am British Airways flight BA1385 to London
7.30am Jet2 LS951 to Corfu
7.30am Jet2 LS952 to Palma
7.55am Jet2 LS1719 to Catania
8am easyJet flight to U2729 to Jersey
8am Jet2 LS961 to Dubrovnik
8am easyJet flight U22007 to Malaga
8am easyJet flight U22105 to Paris
8.15am Jet2 LS809 to Malaga
8.35am Jet2 LS905 to Heraklion
8.45am easyJet flight U290 to Belfast
9.15am Ryanair flight FR1863 to Cork
10am Jet2 LS9170 to Tenerife
11.50am easyJet flight U2703 to Belfast
2.20pm easyJet flight U22187 flight to Geneva
ℹ️ Update: Flight disruption
As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by @NATS on Monday 28 August, there continues to be some delays and cancellations.