Flights from UK and Irish airports are being heavily disrupted by a technical problem affecting the air traffic control provider Nats, according to tracking website FlightRadar24, which reported around 300 flights have been cancelled. British Airways and Ryanair have confirmed cancellations, while Easyjet, Gatwick's largest carrier, also reported disruptions. Nats said its flight systems were starting to recover just before 17:00 BST, but with few aircraft able to take off, landings are being restricted, leading to some flights being prevented from departing from overseas airports.

At Heathrow, departures were initially paused around lunchtime, then resumed before facing further disruption in the afternoon. It is understood that very few flights are currently taking off. Gatwick said it was currently being affected by the issue, with passengers advised to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights. East Midlands has also been affected, while Manchester Airport warned that some departing flights could be delayed. Belfast's two airports have both advised passengers to check flight information, with the City of Derry Airport reporting some cancellations and delays.

Nats said it was investigating an issue in its flight processing system, which it said was causing some disruption to flight departures. Engineers were on site, and the organisation was "working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible." Nats apologised for the delays caused and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline. It said it would provide updates on its website and X. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the situation and realised it would be frustrating for passengers.

Phil White from Bexhill told BBC Your Voice that his flight to Lanzarote boarded on time but has been sitting on the tarmac at Gatwick for hours. "We've been told the radar is down and we can't take off," he said. "It's comfortable enough but the pilots have been on every 20 minutes saying they are waiting for information from air traffic control and when he finds anything out he will let us know."

Edinburgh Airport said in a post on X that the issue might affect its operations, while Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland are also experiencing delays. British Airways said in a statement on its website that passengers should travel to the airport as normal if they have not been contacted by the airline directly. It added that the situation was "entirely out of our control." Ryanair said affected passengers would be notified.

No official response from Nats or government has been provided. Further details on the cause of the technical issue remain unclear.