London’s airspace was briefly closed Wednesday afternoon following a radar failure at the UK’s main air traffic control centre. Eurocontrol confirmed the shutdown began at 2:39pm GMT, affecting flights nationwide and halting all outbound departures from airports including Gatwick.
NATS, the UK air traffic authority, said engineers have now resolved the technical issue and are “resuming normal operations in the London area.” However, knock-on delays are expected to continue throughout the day.
The fault—traced to radar systems at NATS’ Swanwick centre—left controllers temporarily unable to track aircraft positions, raising serious safety concerns. Though incoming flights continued to land safely, many passengers faced delays of several hours.
NATS apologised for the disruption and advised travellers to check with their airlines for the latest updates.
