Manchester Airport disruption set to continue after NATS issue

Manchester Airport said passengers should check their flight status directly with their airline before travelling to the airport.

Only travel to the airport if an airline has confirmed the flight is operating.

Manchester Airport said via social media: “Following today’s NATS air traffic control issue, flight disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the day while airlines recover their schedules.

“Before travelling to the airport, please check your flight status directly with your airline. Only travel to the airport if your airline has confirmed that your flight is operating.

“We’ll share further updates when available. Thank you for your patience.”

Airlines are recovering schedules following the issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service.

It had earlier warned at 3.15pm that delays could affect some departing flights.

The disruption began after NATS, the National Air Traffic Services, reported a technical issue.

NATS provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, and departures at multiple airports were affected.

Arrivals at Heathrow were not currently affected, according to information provided by the airport.

A NATS spokesperson said: “We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures.

“Our engineers are on site and we will provide an update as soon as we can.”

NATS apologised for delays and advised passengers to check with their airline.

Manchester Airport’s advice applied to passengers booked to depart from the site.

Passengers with flights booked from Manchester should contact their airline before setting off, they should not travel to the airport unless their airline confirms operation.

Airlines may be working through revised schedules, meaning flight times can change.

The airport has not said how many Manchester flights are affected.

Passengers are advised to keep checking airline websites and messages for updates.

Other UK airports, including Heathrow, also reported disruption to departures; Jersey Airport and Belfast City Airport warned of possible disruption.