Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Passengers have faced hours of delays at Gatwick airport after an air traffic control outage grounded dozens of flights.
A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “There was an outage to a local NATS system earlier this morning which has now been rectified. No cancellations have resulted from this, but some passengers may experience delays. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Several passengers took to social media to share their frustration, with many reporting being stuck on the runway for over an hour.
No planes were allowed to depart while the airport attempted to reset the system, while other aircraft was sent back to their stands.
It is believed that delays could be ongoing throughout the day.
One frustrated passenger took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “Problems @Gatwick_Airport mean we’ve been sat on this plane for 2.5 hours with another 1.5 to go. The flight’s only about 45 mins ish usually!.”
Another woman expressed concern her grandchild would miss his trip to Lapland, while another said they had been stuck in Mallorca with no information for two hours.
A small number of EasyJet flights have been delayed while passengers are encouraged to check their airline’s website or social media for updates.
More follows on this story