Air traffic control chaos - live: Hundreds of flights delayed across UK again

Air traffic control chaos - live: Hundreds of flights delayed across UK again Flights from Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports are among those affected by the issue which comes just weeks after another Air Traffic Control glitch grounded thousands of flights Air traffic control issues have sparked major disruption to hundreds of flights across the UK again today, with multiple airlines warning passengers to expect delays. Air Traffic Control provider NATS said it is experiencing a "technical issue" affecting airspace in northern and central England, as well as in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Airports affected include Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Inverness and Islay. Passengers have been advised to check with their airlines and arrive at the airport as normal. The latest meltdown comes just weeks after thousands of UK flights were grounded by another air traffic control glitch. NATS said a defect in software which allocates codes so air traffic controllers can identify flights on radar, was behind the decision to cancellation of flights. "This happened in the space of a millisecond," a report said. Key Events Manchester Airport issues warning to passengers Manchester Airport has warned passengers to keep an eye out for updates from their airlines following the NATS technical issue. An air traffic control system operated by NATS has been affected by a technical issue causing delays to flights from some UK airports. Passengers due to travel today are advised to keep an eye out for updates from their airlines Major disruption across Highlands and Islands airports Highlands and Islands Airports Limited say flights are disrupted across all the airports the company operates. These include Dundee, Inverness and Islay. "Due to a technical issue at Prestwick, flight schedules are currently being impacted across all our airports. Please contact your airline for the latest flight information," the company said. Disruption comes just weeks after another glitch sparked chaos The disruption comes just weeks after thousands of UK flights were grounded by another air traffic control glitch. NATS said the delays and cancellations were caused by a software defect in the National Airspace System which allocates codes to individual aircraft. "This happened in the space of a millisecond," a report said. 'Airports south of Manchester broadly unaffected,' says NATS A new statement from NATS, the air traffic control service, says airports south of Manchester are "broadly unaffected". A spokesman said: Our engineers are continuing to investigate the issue at our Prestwick centre in Scotland. Airports south of Manchester are broadly unaffected, however flights heading north and flights departing Scottish airports are currently subject to some delay. Passengers should check with their airlines. This is unrelated to the issue two weeks ago. We apologise for the disruption. More than 130 flights delayed at Manchester Airport According to flightradar24, 134 flights are delayed at Manchester Airport so far, with 9 flights cancelled. It is unclear how many of these delays and cancellations are directly linked to the air traffic contol issue, but it has been confirmed that the disruption is affecting flights at Manchester Airport. NATS investigating 'technical issue' at Prestwick centre Scotland Air Traffic Control provider NATS says it is "investigating a technical issue" at its Prestwick centre in Scotland. A spokesperson said: To maintain safety, air traffic regulations have been applied to manage traffic demand. Engineers are on site investigating and working to resolve the issue. The issue is unrelated to the technical problems experienced earlier this month. We apologise for the disruption and any delays to passengers’ journeys. Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information on their flight. EasyJet warns of delays with some flights 'unable to operate' EasyJet passengers have been warned to expect delays today, with some flights "unable to operate" due to the air traffic control system failure. The budget airline told customers: A NATS Air Traffic Control system failure in its Prestwick Centre is unfortunately causing delays to flights with some unable to operate. This, once again, calls into question the resilience of NATS' systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures. We will do all we can minimise the impact of this for our customers and advise customers due to fly today to check our flight tracker: easyjet.com/en/flight-tracker for the latest information. Hundreds of flights delayed in Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland Hundreds of flights have been delayed in Northern England, Scotland and Northermn Ireland today due to more air traffic control issues. Air Traffic Control provider NATS said it is experiencing a "technical issue" affecting airspace. The disruption is understood to be linked to a failure affecting the Flight Data Processing System (FDPS) at NATS' Prestwick Centre, according to Aviation News UK.