Air control problem causes chaos at UK airports

Thousands of people have been affected after a technical problem at an air traffic control centre caused chaos at airports across the UK.

Disruption includes:

• Heathrow cancelled 217 flights so far today
• Gatwick cancelled five flights but experienced 86 delays
• Stansted said flights had been delayed by up to three hours

• Other airports affected: Dublin, Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bournemouth, Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton, Luton, London City, Exeter and Newcastle

• The National Air Traffic Service said the disruption has caused a 20 per cent reduction in flights handled
• The company said the issue would not be fixed until between 6.30pm and 7pm

Read: Aviation expert warns of 'day of frustration'