Chaos reigned on Tuesday afternoon at major British airports, including Heathrow, following a technical problem with air traffic control, which has caused flight delays and cancellations.

The problem is primarily affecting departures, as aircraft cannot take off safely until the relevant systems are restored.

ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ

08.10.2026 14:41

Canadian Anne Carson Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature

08.10.2026 14:21

A Look Back at Apollon’s International Soccer Players

The British air traffic control agency NATS announced that it is investigating the technical issue and that technicians are already on site. “We are investigating a technical issue that is causing disruptions to flight departures. Our engineers are on site, and we will provide an update as soon as possible,” the statement said.

NATS apologized for the resulting delays and advised passengers to contact their airlines for updates on their flights.

For its part, Heathrow Airport reported that the technical issue is affecting departures from British airports, clarifying that arrivals have not been affected at this time. “Air traffic control is experiencing a technical issue affecting flight departures at airports in the United Kingdom. Arrivals are not currently affected,” Heathrow stated in a post.

The airport also noted that it is working with the local NATS team to restore operations as quickly as possible, and asked passengers to check for updates from their airlines.

So far, it is not known how long the technical malfunction will last or how many flights have been affected in total.

SEE ALSO: President: “Kronos” Marks Cyprus’ Transition to the Era of Natural Gas Exports to Europe | AlphaNews