Hundreds of flights were cancelled across the UK on Tuesday due to a significant glitch affecting air traffic control provider Nats, leading to widespread disruption for tens of thousands of passengers. Flight delays are anticipated to continue into Wednesday as the backlog from the widespread system failure is addressed.

The incident, which affected air traffic control systems across the UK and beyond, caused significant operational challenges for airlines and airports. Nats, the provider of air traffic services, confirmed the problem and its boss Martin Rolfe issued an apology, stating that a full investigation into the cause would be conducted. Resolving the issue took longer than initially anticipated, exacerbating the disruption.

Tracking website FlightRadar24 reported that up to 1,000 flights were cancelled due to the glitch. EasyJet cancelled 200 flights, while British Airways reported over 100 cancellations and diversions. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines for the latest flight status information and to avoid travelling to the airport if their flight was cancelled.

Experts and some airlines have called for a thorough review of Nats' systems. Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, described the disruption as unacceptable and said over 65,000 of its passengers were delayed by up to eight hours. Wizz Air called for an overhaul of the organisation, suggesting Nats was not fit for purpose in its current form.

Major airports such as Heathrow experienced significant delays, with departures initially paused around lunchtime. Landings were also restricted, contributing to the inability of some flights to depart from overseas airports. Heathrow reported that it ran out of space for incoming flights in the afternoon because aircraft were not departing as scheduled.

Thirteen Heathrow-bound flights were diverted to other airports across the UK and Europe. Passengers like Phil White, who was set to fly from Gatwick to Lanzarote, described being left on the tarmac for hours while waiting for updates from air traffic control.

British Airways acknowledged the knock-on effects of the disruption, stating that their call centres were experiencing high volumes of customer inquiries. The airline advised customers whose flights were cancelled not to travel to the airport and to be patient as they worked to re-arrange travel plans.

Nats has stated that the issue has now been resolved, but the full impact of the backlog is still being assessed. The incident raises questions about the resilience of critical national infrastructure and the preparedness of air traffic control systems to handle such technical failures, with further scrutiny expected on Nats' operational capabilities.