Flights grounded for four hours at Edinburgh Airport due to ‘IT issue’

yesterday

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All flights at Edinburgh Airport were halted for approximately four hours on Sunday afternoon and evening because of a technical problem with air traffic control.

The disruption is thought to have started around 2:30 PM, leading to at least twelve incoming flights being rerouted to Glasgow, Newcastle, and Manchester. These flights originated from various destinations such as Istanbul, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife.

A minimum of 18 flights have been called off, affecting locations such as Amsterdam, Cologne, and Berlin. Approximately 5,000 travelers are facing flight cancellations or reroutes.

In a message on X, Edinburgh Airport announced that there are "no flights taking off or arriving" because of a "technical problem with air traffic control."

The airport stated: “Our engineers are currently addressing the problem. We advise passengers to confirm their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.”

Flights restarted at 6:42 PM, starting with a Ryanair service to Cork that left four hours late. The delays are expected to persist through the night and into Monday morning, affecting the positioning of planes, crews, and passengers.

As reported by the flight data expert Cirium, Edinburgh Airport was anticipated to handle 303 flights today, with 152 taking off and 151 landing. This adds up to more than 50,000 available seats.

In an update released later on Sunday afternoon, the airport announced that engineers are still actively addressing the IT problem.

Edinburgh Airport is the most active airport in Scotland, with approximately 40,000 travelers passing through each day.

At the airport, Air Navigation Solutions Ltd (ANSL) is responsible for managing air traffic control. They describe their services as including both aerodrome and radar air traffic control, in addition to offering air traffic engineering services.

This serves as a challenger to Nats, the primary air traffic control service in the UK, which experienced a nationwide outage of both its primary and backup systems on August 28, 2023.

The Independent is looking to gather additional details from both Edinburgh Airport and ANSL.

Thousands of travelers remain at the airport, anticipating departures to various cities across Europe, popular vacation spots, and distant international hubs.

Numerous travelers impacted by the cancellations were trying to transfer to international flights at airports such as London Heathrow, Paris, and Amsterdam.

The initial Air France flight from Edinburgh to Paris scheduled for Monday morning has been canceled due to the ongoing disruption.

According to regulations regarding passenger rights, anyone whose flight gets canceled is entitled to be rebooked on the next available flight to their intended destination, even if it means using another airline. They should also receive meals and, if needed, a place to stay while they wait for their new flight.