by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Mon August 28, 2023
Flights into and out of the United Kingdom were canceled or
delayed on Monday after a technical issue snarled traveled for several hours
before the problem was fixed.
According to NBC
News, the UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) revealed that a
technical issue resulted in its system’s ability to automatically process
flight plans, forcing officials to restrict the flow of aircraft as it manually
input flight plans.
Even with the technical glitch identified and remedied, airlines
and airports have issued warnings for potential delays and cancellations.
“We have identified and remedied the technical issue
affecting our flight planning system this morning,” a NATS spokesperson said. “We
are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights
affected as efficiently as possible.”
“Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system’s
performance as we return to normal operations,” the statement continued.
Officials from Loganair called the issue “a network-wide
failure of UK air traffic control computer systems,” while Irish air traffic
control provider AirNav Ireland said the problem caused “significant delays for
flights across Europe.”
A British Airways representative said its Monday flight
schedule was “severely disrupted,” and a London Heathrow spokesperson said the
airport was working with NATS to “minimize the impact on passengers.”
The United States has also dealt with delays
and cancellations related to air traffic controllers (ATC) staff shortages.
To combat the problem, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it
had hired its goal of 1,500 ATCs this year.
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