Disruption to flights at Newcastle Airport following air traffic control 'technical issue'

European air traffic authority Eurocontrol has warned of “very high” delays. Credit: PA

Passengers travelling through Newcastle Airport have been advised that there is "disruption to arriving and departing flights" due to a technical issue which has restricted UK flight traffic.

NATs, the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services, told ITV News earlier that it was "experiencing a technical issue".

It added that it has "applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety" and that engineers were working to find and the fix the fault.

A spokesperson for Newcastle Airport said: "Due to an issue with National Air Traffic  Services, we are experiencing some disruption to arriving and departing flights, including some cancellations.

"Passengers should contact their airline to check the status of their flight. Flight information is available on our website and app but is subject to change. We apologise for any inconvenience."

The problem is now believed to have been resolved, but Newcastle Airport is continuing to advise customers to contact their airline operators, as it may "take some time for operations to get back to normal."

Teesside Airport has been approached for comment.

Passengers already on board planes headed for the UK have taken to social media to report that they've been told a problem with air traffic control is keeping them grounded.

NATs has also clarified that UK airspace is not closed. It said: "We are continuing to work hard to resolve the technical issue. To clarify, UK airspace is not closed, we have had to apply air traffic flow restrictions which ensures we can maintain safety."

European air traffic authority Eurocontrol has warned of “very high” delays because of a “flight data processing system failure” in the UK.


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