As of 17:30 BST, 45 departures from the UK had been cancelled, plus 35 arrivals
An earlier statement from air traffic control said: "We are limiting the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety"
Davey calls on government to investigate 'unacceptable' incident
Earlier, Ryanair called for the boss of NATS - National Air Traffic Services - to resign over today's technical issue, which led to flights being suspended across the UK and in some cases cancelled.We're now hearing from Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, who echoes Ryanair's frustration.
"It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault," he says. "With thousands of families preparing to go on a well earned break, this just isn't good enough."
Davey also calls on the government to "launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose".
"The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure," he says.Ed Davey speaking to reporters; he's standing in front of trees and wearing a suit but no tie.Total of 45 flights cancelled across all UK airports, current data shows
I've just had this statement through from aviation analytics firm Cirium, which says the data is accurate as of 17:30 BST but is likely to change:
"Today, 30 July 2025, has seen a total of 45 departures cancelled so far, across all UK airports.
"There has also been a total of 35 arrivals cancelled so far, across all UK airports.
"London Heathrow has seen the highest number of cancellations so far, with a total of 16 departures and seven arrivals so far."There were also more than 16 flights en route to London Heathrow that had to be diverted to other airports."
Whether you're at a UK airport, or just interested in the latest travel news, here's everything we know about this afternoon's air traffic control issues...
A "technical issue" was detected at the NATS Swanwick air traffic control centre in Southampton, on the south coast of England
Airports across the country suspended departures - including at Gatwick, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Luton
NATS soon reported the issue had been resolved - and that it was working with airports and airlines to reduce disruption
But despite the majority of airports resuming flights, many are warning of delays
Passengers across the board are being told to check with their airlines before attempting to fly - British Airways says the issue affected the "vast majority" of its flights
We've also been hearing from people stuck on planes: Tom Joyner - one of our (off-duty) reporters on his way to Budapest - has been on the tarmac at Gatwick for more than two hours, while Kirk Ryan and his family were delayed at Liverpool, but have since been told their Jet2 flight to Turkey's ready to depart
And a reminder of what we don't yet know:Air traffic control expert Doug Maclean, formerly a senior manager with NATS, tells Radio Scotland's Drivetime the cause of the glitch has not been revealed - which is "very disappointing to put it mildly".
"The traffic restrictions are being lifted," he adds. "But you can't just stop and start air traffic control and flights from all of the UK airports."
Asha, 18, from Manchester, is currently "stuck" on the tarmac at the city's airport.
Her EasyJet flight is "still delayed" and her "first holiday interrailing [has] gone wrong!"
She says her 15:10 flight to Amsterdam took off and was in the air for 50 minutes before turning around.
Asha says some people on her flight "now want to get off the plane" and she does not know when she will take off again.She is "hoping for some free food" to make up for the disruption.
Passengers travelling from Belfast this evening have been advised they may face some disruption.However, the impact appears to be affecting those travelling from George Best Belfast City Airport more than those flying through Belfast International.
A spokesperson for Belfast City Airport confirmed that while the technical problems have now been resolved, knock-on effects could still impact flights across the UK.
"Due to earlier air traffic control issues affecting the London area, which have now been resolved, there may be disruption to flights due to depart and arrive across the UK this evening," they said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Belfast International Airport reported "minimal impact" this evening, telling BBC News NI that flights continue to operate as normal.
Louise Robinson has been in touch after her flight from Venice to London was diverted to Geneva.
She says she has been sitting on the tarmac for about 35 minutes.
"Myself and my children were on a flight from Venice to [London Heathrow] which left Venice at 16.05," she says.
"A short time into our journey the captain announced that we were being held in a holding pattern as French airspace had been closed to all air traffic due to [a] London radar being down.
"After flying in the holding pattern for a while we were told we might have to land in Switzerland."
Robinson says the pilot has told them they have the "all clear" to take off again for London in about 45 minutes - although that might change with the flight backlog.
After more than two hours at a standstill - see my earlier post here - my EasyJet flight from London Gatwick is still waiting for clearance to take off.
The captain says the issue is now there are not enough ground crew at Gatwick to deal with the build-up of aircraft.But in a few minutes, he tells us, we’re expected to get the green light."Things are chopping and changing quite a lot," he says. "Hopefully we’ll get going shortly."
It’s still two hours flight time from here to Budapest, but at least we’ll get there tonight.
Edinburgh Airport says flights there resumed just before 17:00 BST, with an Edinburgh to Cologne flight.A spokesperson adds that 10 flights had their departures suspended during the air traffic control issues this afternoon.
One of Ryanair's bosses is calling for the resignation of NATS chief Martin Rolfe over the technical error today.
Neal McMahon, of Ryanair, says "it is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of NATS".
The statement continues, saying "yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers travel plans have been disrupted".
Referring to an previous incident under Rolfe's leadership, McMahon says it's clear "no lessons have been learnt".
He then calls on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to intervene should Rolfe fail to resign over today's issue.
For context: In August 2023, hundreds of flights were cancelled at the UK's busiest airports due to an air traffic control glitch, and more than a quarter of planned flights in and out of the UK were cancelled. All airlines operating in the UK were affected, with more than 500 flights cancelled.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: "I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.
British Airways says the number of its inbound and outbound flights at Heathrow is restricted to a total of 32 per hour until 19:15 BST.After then, the flow rate will return to the usual level of 45 per hour.Kirk Ryan and his family seated in a car turn and smile at the camera
Earlier, we brought you details from Kirk Ryan, who was stuck with his young family on a plane at Liverpool airport.
Ryan has just been back in touch to say the flight has been told it can leave - he, his wife and two children are now heading to Turkey as planned.
Flights in the Channel Islands are delayed due to the technical issue affecting UK departures.
Officials at Guernsey Ports said they were monitoring the issue and would update passengers when they know more.Jersey passengers were being advised to check with their airline as usual unless told otherwise.
Here's a new statement from the National Air Traffic Services.
"Our systems are fully operational and air traffic capacity is returning to normal.
"Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue."
Dublin airport says some delays to flights to and from the airport "are possible this evening" and advises passengers due to fly to contact their airline for updates London City airport has warned that some flights may be cancelled.
In a statement on X earlier, the airport says: "Due to a technical issue with air traffic control across the London area, flights in and out of London airports - including London City Airport - might be delayed or subject to cancellation."
As other airports are doing, it advises passengers to check with their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.
Cardiff airport says the issue has led to a "small number of delayed departures" for them.
"We are liaising closely with air traffic control and will continue to keep our customers updated," a statement says.
"We have been advised that the issue has now been resolved, and measures are being taken to minimise any further impact on operations."
