Bristol Airport flights grounded over air traffic control failure

A number of flights at Bristol Airport have been delayed or cancelled due to a technical failure with air traffic control systems.

A Bristol Airport spokesperson said the disruption is being caused by a "connectivity issue" at the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) at Prestwick Centre in Scotland.

Both the arrival and departure boards indicate delays of up to two hours, alongside cancelled flights to destinations including Barcelona, Nice and Edinburgh.

In a statement, Nats confirmed the issue was now fixed and said it was working with airports to lift air traffic restrictions as soon as possible.

It comes after a disruption earlier this month, caused by a "software defect" that left 2000 flights grounded across the country.

Becky Freeman became stranded at Bristol Airport after her flight to Edinburgh for a business meeting was cancelled. She described the atmosphere as "chaos".

"I was caught up in the Nats issue earlier this month and spent nine hours at Bristol airport," she said.

"I can't believe it's happened again. It is very frustrating and I will have to attempt the business meeting again for a third time."

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Airports across the UK are reporting varying degrees of disruption including Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, London City and Belfast City.

The Bristol Airport spokesperson said: "Similar to other UK airports, Bristol Airport is experiencing some delays and cancellations due to the Nats technical issue at Prestwick Centre.

"Customers should check with their airlines for latest information on their flight."

A spokesperson for Nats confirmed the issue at the Prestwick Centre is "now fixed".

"We are working with airports and airlines to safely lift air traffic regulations as quickly as we can to minimise any further disruption," they added.

"Passengers should still check the status of their flight with their airline. We apologise for the disruption."

Nats said the flight restrictions were issued to "maintain safety", and assured the technical issue had "nothing to do with the problem we had earlier this month".

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