Chaos at Gatwick Airport as flights diverted and delayed due to lack of air traffic control staff

Dozens of flights have been canceled, delayed or diverted this evening due to a lack of air traffic control staff at Gatwick Airport.

Air traffic control restrictions have been put in place following a short notice absence of staff affecting the air traffic control team at London Airport, the National Air Traffic Services has claimed ( Nats).

Dozens of arrivals and departures were affected, with passengers advised to contact their airline.

Nats officials are said to be “working closely” with Gatwick as they try to manage the situation with “as little disruption as possible”.

It comes after the Nats monitoring system for the whole of the UK was hit by a technical problem on August Bank Holiday Monday, causing widespread disruption which lasted for several days.

A traveler has complained about long queues at Border Force this evening.

One social media user claimed Gatwick had travelers “standing outside in the cold for the last hour, waiting on a coach for a Ryanair flight to Stansted”.

One traveler complained on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Gatwick had travelers “standing outside in the cold for the last hour waiting on a coach for a Ryanair flight to Stansted”.

Another complained about long queues at the Border Force checkpoint in the South Terminal.

One passenger even claimed that a flight had been diverted to Bournemouth Airport, located more than 100 miles from Gatwick.

“We sincerely apologize to those who were inconvenienced (as a result of unavoidable diversions),” a Nats spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are working closely with Gatwick Airport Ltd to strengthen the resilience of the airport control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.”

Nats has been recruiting new air traffic controllers since last summer and has increased its presence by 17 percent, the agency said.

Other workers are expected to start after completing their training, according to the plan agreed to when the agency took over the contract last October.

Travelers faced widespread disruption last month after the air traffic control system was hit by a technical glitch. Disturbed passengers are pictured at Belfast Airport on August 28

More than a quarter of flights to and from UK airports were canceled that day, affecting around 250,000 people. Pictured: Travelers disrupted at Gatwick Airport on August 29

“Senior management at London Gatwick understands that we are working hard to maintain the operation,” the spokesperson added.

“Airlines operating at London Gatwick were aware of the situation when Nats was appointed, but this does not take away from our sincere apologies to them and their passengers who have been inconvenienced by the recent disruption.”

Gatwick apologized for the situation, adding in a statement: “Nats is a provider of world-class air traffic services and London Gatwick’s senior management recognizes how hard the airport’s air traffic controllers work to maintain the operations.

“We are working closely with Nats to strengthen the resilience of the airport control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.”

Travelers faced widespread disruption last month after the air traffic control system was hit by a technical glitch on August 28. More than a quarter of flights to and from UK airports were canceled that day, affecting around 250,000 people.

Cancellations continued for two more days, with planes and crews not positioned.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told the BBC: “It is unacceptable that more flights and hundreds of passengers are experiencing delays to/from Gatwick Airport due to the blatant incapacity of Nats CEO Martin Rolfe to properly staff British air traffic control.

Cancellations continued for two more days, with planes and crews not positioned. Passengers are pictured waiting at Stansted Airport on August 29.

“Airlines pay millions of pounds to Nats every year and should not have to see their passengers suffer avoidable delays due to lack of ATC staff in the UK.”

Rory Boland, of consumer group Which?, said: “It is unacceptable that some passengers at Gatwick have been hit by further air traffic control problems so soon after the chaos of a few weeks ago.

“This is not a problem caused by airlines, but they must fulfill their legal obligations to care for passengers and provide them with assistance in case of delays and help with refunds and re-routings – including with d other carriers if necessary.”

“To help end this cycle of miserable passenger experiences, the Prime Minister must play his part and prioritize legislation to give the CAA stronger enforcement powers in the King’s Speech more late this year.”