Flights at Leeds Bradford Airport are disrupted by problem

Leeds Bradford is one of 15 airports hit by the problem, which has caused cancellations and delays to flights leaving the UK.

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokesperson said: “The air traffic control service, NATS, is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting flights at airports across the UK, including at LBA.”

“Passengers are advised to check with their airline for the latest flight information.”

“LBA is working alongside its airline partners to ensure customers are on the move before close of day.”

NATS said it was investigating a technical issue linked to its flight processing system, which serves 15 UK airports.

NATS later said it had applied a fix and its flight system was beginning to recover.

NATS said: “Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.”

“We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise.”

“Flights are still departing and airspace is open, but recovery will take some time. We will provide further updates as soon as possible.”

“Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline.”

Flightradar24 said 425 flights to and from UK airports had been cancelled by 5pm.

The issue also affected airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, London City, London Southend, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Southampton and Belfast.

Birmingham Airport said the problem was affecting southern UK airspace and “impacting a significant number of departing flights across the country”.

Heathrow initially said arriving flights were unaffected, but later reported that the issue was “impacting arriving and departing flights across UK airports”.

Manchester Airports Group said flights from Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands had been affected.

Flightradar24 said about 4 per cent of UK flights had been cancelled or delayed because of the problem.

It said Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham were the worst-hit airports.

NATS said flights were still departing and airspace remained open, but warned that recovery would take time.

Passengers using Leeds Bradford Airport were told to check with their airline before travelling.

EasyJet said some flights were “unable to operate” and delays were affecting services across Europe; affected customers would be offered a free transfer or refund, with meals and hotel accommodation where needed.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said engineers were fixing the problem and apologised to passengers.

The incident follows previous NATS failures, including a radar problem last July and a technical glitch in August 2023.