Major airports across the UK in chaos due to technical problems
A technical problem at the Air Traffic Control Center caused chaos at many major airports across the UK on December 7 when hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, causing tens of thousands of passengers to miss their flights.
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| Tens of thousands of passengers missed their flights due to technical problems. (Source: PA) |
The National Air Transport Authority (Nats) said the computerised telephone system used by air traffic controllers to manage flights over UK airspace failed to shift the time from the night of December 6 to December 7 when it was overwhelmed with flights.
Due to this problem, air traffic controllers were forced to use manual measures, causing many planes to "circle" longer before being allowed to land. Planes that were allowed to take off were also delayed.
The problem was not resolved until 7:30 p.m. the same day.
Computer glitches have caused chaos at airports, starting in south-east England and spreading across the country.
British Airways (BA) has had to cancel a series of domestic flights, while other airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair are also facing similar problems.
Major airports in the UK - from Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton, Bournemouth, Southampton to London City, Dublin - witnessed chaotic scenes of passengers as most flights across the south of England, Ireland and Europe were delayed or cancelled.
The incident paralyzed British air services on December 7, adding to widespread disruption after Storm Xaver hit on the night of December 5, causing severe flooding in Scotland, northern Wales and the eastern coast.
According to Vietnam+
