Computer Glitch Hits UK Flights

A computer problem at the main air traffic control center affected flights in South Eat England, including Heathrow and Gatwick.

Flights in and out of some UK airports, including the international hubs of Heathrow and Gatwick near London, were delayed or canceled yesterday when a computer glitch caused problems at the main air control center in Swanwick.

The problem hit about 4 pm yesterday, and British Airways alone had to cancel 35 domestic and European flights. There will also be a knock-on effect today with planes not where they should be, according to the BBC, and the size of the problem caused a spillover of the problem to airports all over Britain.

The London Terminal Control Center continued to operate during the problem, but with limited capacity, and National Air Traffic Services (Nats) engineers were called in to investigate the cause.

The problem meant that although air traffic controllers could see the planes on radar, they had problems identifying them.