TRAVEL chaos hit one of the UK’s major airports today as dozens of planes were grounded for HOURS.
Gatwick air traffic control experienced a major systems outage at around 8am with more than 20 flights now delayed.
Gatwick air traffic control experienced a major systems outage at around 8am
Twitter/@Coastway_WillThe new concourse at Gatwick’s rail station deserted due to the delays[/caption]
No planes were allowed to depart while the airport attempted to reset the system.
Some aircraft that were due to take off were sent back to their stands.
Delays from the outage are likely to carry on all day.
Several easyJet journeys were delayed including planes for Milan-Malpensa, Tenerife and Geneva.
A spokesperson for London Gatwick LGW said: “There was an outage to a local NATS system earlier this morning which has now been rectified.
Has your journey been impacted by the outage? Contact: [email protected]
“No cancellations have resulted from this, but some passengers may experience delays.
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Passengers took to Twitter to express frustration and share their experiences.
One tweeted: “We’re stuck on the tarmac at Gatwick south, apparently we have a take off time, but now there’s a queue of 20+ planes….”
Another said: “It’s now 8:27am, Saturday 9th December. I’ve been sitting an hour and a half in an EasyJet plane which should be going to Montpellier, France.
“It hasn’t moved. Some issue with no departing flights being accepted, only inbound flights.”
A third commented: “Stuck at PMI Mallorca with no info. I see almost every flight arrival this morning is delayed – any issues? Some information would be helpful.”
BBC presenter Tina Daheley quipped: “Winning the lottery in 2023 is also getting a plane from @Gatwick_Airport that leaves on time.
“‘System failure’ means our flight to Tenerife is currently delayed for an unspecified amount of time.”
It comes after thousands of air passengers were stranded by a major air traffic control failure in August.
The “technical issue” grounded 500 flights across the UK.
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