Full list of UK airports with flight delays as 'technical issue' sparks travel chaos

Travel chaos erupted in the UK on Wednesday afternoon after a "technical issue" impacted several outbound flights. Airports across the country were affected by the disruption, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Birmingham.

The disruption was prompted when an air traffic control centre, which controls 200,000 square miles of airspace, experienced a "technical issue," according to the country's National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The organisation said around 4.40pm on July 30 that the problem had been solved - but delays were to still be expected. A statement read: "Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon.

"We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused."

While many airports have suspended their services, a few others are bearing the indirect impact of the closures. Holidaymakers at Liverpool airport have been left stuck after the pilot announced that "their flight to Turkey cannot leave due to the air traffic control issue", reports BBC.

Passengers for Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports have been urged to check with airlines due to the ongoing travel chaos. A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which operates airports in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton told the BBC: "We urge passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline."

British Airways claimed that "vast majority" of flights have been impacted by the incident. The airline told the Express that the earlier air traffic control problem is affecting the "vast majority" of its flights.

It added: "Whilst this is entirely outside of our control, we want to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and assure them that our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as quickly as possible."

The incident has caused a "small number of delayed departures" at Cardiff airport as well.

In another statement, the National Air Traffic Services informed its systems had returned "fully operational" and that "air traffic capacity is returning to normal".

The NATS added: "Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue."

• London Gatwick
• London Heathrow
• Luton Airport
• Birmingham Airport
• London Stansted
• Manchester Airport
• Edinburgh Airport
• East Midlands Airport
• Liverpool Airport
• Newcastle Airport
• Cardiff Airport
• London City
• Dublin Airport
• Belfast Airport