Transatlantic flights grounded

British Airways said they had experienced "some minor delays"

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Saturday, 03, Oct 2009 11:51

By inthenews.co.uk staff.

All transatlantic flights from the UK were grounded this morning over a problem with the air traffic control systems at Prestwick airport in Scotland.

The Scottish control hub, which guides planes in and out of Britain bound for the US and Canada, experienced problems all morning - meaning delays of a few hours on all flights.

BAA said the main source of the problem was in the Shanwick airspace area, meaning no aircraft were allowed to enter the north Atlantic region between 08:00 and 12:00 BST.

The issue is now thought to have been resolved, although it is expected to have some form of knock-on effect for the rest of the day.

Earlier, a spokesperson for NATS, which is in charge of the countrywide air traffic control systems, said the problems meant reverting to "manual systems" and had caused "some delays".

Some passengers are believed to have been held up by more than three hours, although the spokesperson added: "There was no safety implication."

BAA, who are in charge of most of the main UK airports, recommended passengers who are due to fly today contact the relevant airlines before leaving the house.

"NATS engineers have resolved the issue affecting oceanic airspace," the organisation continued.

"Passengers travelling to westbound destinations in the US and Canada may experience some delays."