Technical issue at Nats causes flight disruption in southern England

Departures from a number of airports in southern England, including Heathrow and Gatwick, have been affected by a technical problem affecting the air traffic control provider Nats.

At Heathrow, departures were initially paused around lunchtime. Traffic then resumed, before facing further stop-start disruption in the afternoon. Incoming flights have been landing as normal.

Gatwick said it was currently being affected by the issue, along with other airports. East Midlands has also been affected by the issue, while Manchester Airport warned that some departing flights could be delayed.

Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights.

In a statement, Nats said it was investigating the issue, which the BBC understands has not yet been resolved.

"We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures. Our engineers are on site and we will provide an update as soon as we can."

NATS apologised for the delays caused and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline. The organisation will provide updates on www.nats.aero and X.

Edinburgh Airport said in a post on X that the issue might affect its operations.