UK says a cyberattack was not the cause of air traffic problems that snarled flights
The British government says a cyberattack was not the cause of a breakdown at the nationwide air traffic control system that saw hundreds of flights delayed and canceled
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The British government said Tuesday that a breakdown at the nationwide air traffic control system that saw hundreds of flights delayed and canceled was not caused by a cyberattack.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the problem was caused by a “technical fault” at flight control operator National Air Traffic Services. The company said the outage had hit its ability to process flight plans automatically, meaning that for several hours the plans had to be input manually, a much slower process that meant fewer flights could take off and land.
Harper told the BBC that “it is going to take some days to get people back to where they should be.”
The problem hit on a late-summer holiday Monday that is one of the busiest days of the year for air travel. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that by Monday afternoon, 232 flights due to leave U.K. airports and 271 arriving flights had been canceled.
Dozens of flights were canceled at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest air hub, which warned of “knock-on impacts.” At least 32 departures from Heathrow were canceled on Tuesday, and 31 arrivals axed.
Gatwick, London’s second-busiest airport, said it planned to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday, but advised passengers to check with airlines before traveling to the airport.