Flights Are Disrupted at Airports Across U.K. After Radar Problem

Flights out of London airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, were briefly grounded Wednesday afternoon because of a technical issue involving the region’s flight control system, according to representatives for the airports and the company that manages the radar. NATS, a company that provides most air traffic control services for the United Kingdom, said in a statement on social media that “a technical issue” in its air traffic control system had forced it to limit the number of aircraft flying in the London area. By 5:10 p.m. (12:10 p.m. Eastern), the company issued a statement saying that the problem had been fixed, adding that “our systems are fully operational and air traffic capacity is returning to normal. Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely.”The impact of the brief outage, however, rippled through the system, affecting airports throughout the country at the height of the summer travel and vacation season, when many passengers from all over the world travel into and out of London. Heathrow is also one of the largest and most important hubs for European travel, and delays can spread across the continent quickly.