Control system malfunction halts departures at significant British airports.
On Wednesday, 30 July 2025, a technical glitch in the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) systems caused significant disruption at several major UK airports. The incident, which involved a radar-related issue, led to the grounding of flights and suspension of take-offs for approximately 20 minutes.
During this short outage, NATS reduced the number of aircraft flying in the London control area to ensure safety, a top priority for the air traffic control service. The disruption caused over 150 flight cancellations and significant delays across the UK, creating a backlog as flights and crews were out of position.
Despite the brief duration of the outage, the impact was substantial. Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, and Edinburgh Airports all experienced suspended services. Gatwick Airport reported that the issue affected flight departures nationwide.
NATS engineers quickly resolved the issue by switching to a backup radar system, restoring full operational capability within 20 minutes. The incident, however, highlighted the importance of resilient IT and radar infrastructure in air traffic control.
This incident echoes prior problems in 2023 involving NATS IT system glitches that also caused widespread delays, reinforcing calls for improvements and accountability from airline stakeholders.
In summary:
- Cause: Radar-related technical glitch in NATS systems
- Duration of Outage: Approximately 20 minutes
- Resolution: Switch to backup radar system
- Immediate Impact: Flight groundings, over 150 cancellations, delays
- Aftermath: Continued delays as backlog was cleared
- Safety Assurance: Air traffic limited during outage to maintain safety
- Previous Similar Issue: Similar IT/software outages reported in late 2023
The statement was posted on [X], confirming that normal operations are gradually resuming in the London area, although delays and cancellations are expected to continue as the backlog is cleared.
- The general-news on [X] stated that a technology-related radar glitch in NATS systems on Wednesday, 30 July 2025, led to significant disruption, including flight cancellations and delays, particularly at Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, and Edinburgh Airports.
- Despite the resolution of the glitch through the use of a backup radar system within 20 minutes, the impact of this technology malfunction underscores the importance of robust IT and radar infrastructure in maintaining the resilience and safety of air traffic control.
