Simon Calder talks about failure of UK air traffic control computer system

Ryanair has issued a holiday warning for British travellers following “technical issues” with air traffic control. The budget airline said flights were likely to be affected.

The UK’s air traffic control system has suffered a “technical issue” which is likely to impact flights for the rest of the day. Travel expert Simon Calder has warned that delays could continue for the rest of the week.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Due to another air traffic control failure, Ryanair will be forced to delay/cancel a number of flights to and from the UK today, Monday, August 28.

“All affected passengers will be notified of their options to change flights (free of charge) to another Ryanair flight or receive a full refund.

“We sincerely apologise for this UK Air Traffic Control failure which is beyond Ryanair’s control and is affecting all airlines operating to/from the UK today.”

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Simon Calder said that British tourists don’t need to worry about safety but they could face widespread disruption due to the issue.

Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports operate under tight schedules so even a small delay can cause massive disruption for passengers.

The National Air Traffic Control Service has said it is working to solve the issue as soon as possible.

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August 28 is one of the busiest days for air travel in the UK with many families returning at the end of the school holidays.

Heathrow Airport tweeted: “National Air Traffic Services are currently experiencing an outage and have applied air traffic restrictions across the UK.

“We recommend that you contact your airline for the most up to date advice before heading to Heathrow.”

Jet2 also issued an update on its website for passengers to say it was aware of the issue that’s causing “significant delays” across the UK.

Travel expert Paul Charles told BBC News that issues with air traffic control are more common in the UK than in other countries.

The expert said the UK needed to update its systems to prevent further issues occuring in future.

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