A “technical issue” has impacted air traffic control systems in the UK today, with NATS — the National Air Traffic Services — having to restrict the flow of aircraft.

In a statement made to DIGIT around lunchtime, NATS said: “We are currently experiencing a technical issue and have applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and fix the fault. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

They later publicly stated around 2PM that “This morning’s technical issue is affecting our ability to automatically process flight plans. Until our engineers have resolved this, flight plans are being input manually which means we cannot process them at the same volume, hence we have applied traffic flow restrictions.”

While NATS provided an update shortly after 3PM to state that the technical issue in question had been remedied, there are consequent flight delays and cancellations across the UK network — including inbound flights. UK airspace continues to remain open.

NATS advises travellers to “Please check with your airline on the status of your flight.”

Edinburgh Airport further advises that passengers “should not come to the airport before checking with their airline on the status of their flight.”

Scottish airline Loganair — which was one of the first airlines to publish a comment regarding the situation — posted the following on X, formerly Twitter, just before noon: “There has been a network-wide failure of UK air traffic control computer systems this morning. Although we are hopeful of being able to operate most intra-Scotland flights on the basis of local coordination and with a minimum of disruption, north-south and international flights maybe subject to delays.

If you are flying with us today, please check our website for the latest information about your flight before setting off for the airport.”

Approximately an hour later, shortly after 1pm, Loganair provided a further update, saying: “Due to a network-wide outage of Air Traffic Control systems, delays and disruption are expected throughout the day for all airlines. Under these circumstances, Loganair is offering passengers travelling today the opportunity to rebook within the next 48 hours, free of charge, where there is a seat available. Please note that unless your flight is cancelled, no refund will be offered for any operating service.”

The technical issue has arisen at a particularly inopportune time, not least due to the Summer Bank Holiday across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and the winding down of the Edinburgh Fringe festival.

This is an ongoing story. More to follow.

Have you been affected by today’s air traffic flow restrictions? Please email editor@digit.fyi and tell us your story.