Air traffic control glitch causes U.K. flight delays

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Passengers in the U.K. faced flight delays and cancellations. Associated Press/Photo by Liam McBurney/Press Association

Air traffic control glitch causes U.K. flight delays

Britain’s National Air Traffic Service on Monday restricted the flow of aircraft into and out of several major airports across the country. Officials said air traffic controllers had to enter flight plans manually after a technical problem affected the system that automatically processes the plans. Engineers fixed the glitch on Monday afternoon and were investigating what caused the system failure.

Whom did the glitch affect? The travel delays came on a public holiday in the United Kingdom when many families travel before the start of the new school year. Travelers were stuck in airports and planes across Europe because of the reduced operations at British airports. More than 500 flights were canceled, according to the BBC.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how Congress is trying to address air travel issues in the United States.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.