Edinburgh Airport experienced a significant disruption on Sunday when an IT issue with the air traffic control or the ATC grounded all flights for approximately four hours. The technical failure commenced around 2:30 PM local time. It went on to trigger a cascade of operational challenges that impacted thousands of passengers. Here are all of the other important details that you would need to know about this particular unfortunate technical glitch.
What Happened At Edinburgh Airport That Halted Flight Operations?
According to an article that was recently published by The Independent, during the outage, at least a dozen inbound aircraft were compelled to divert to alternative airports. These were to airports like Glasgow, Newcastle, and Manchester.
These diverted flights originated from international destinations such as Istanbul, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife. The incident resulted in the cancellation of 18 flights to European cities like Amsterdam, Cologne, and Berlin, affecting roughly 5,000 passengers.
The airport’s air traffic control, managed by Air Navigation Solutions Ltd or the ANSL, halted all flight operations, with the airport issuing urgent advisories on social media urging passengers to verify their flight statuses.
Also Read: EasyJet Edinburgh-Bound Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Liverpool As Passenger Faces Health Issues
When Did The Flight Operations Resume Finally?
Departures eventually resumed at 6:42 pm, with a Ryanair flight to Cork breaking the standstill, albeit four hours behind schedule. As Scotland’s busiest airport, which typically handles around 40,000 passengers daily, the disruption is expected to create a ripple effect.
The airport anticipated 303 flights today, representing over 50,000 seats, and the technical malfunction will likely cause continued turbulence in flight schedules throughout Sunday evening and Monday morning.
This incident echoes the nationwide air traffic control system failure experienced by NATS in August 2023, highlighting the vulnerability of digital infrastructure in aviation. Many stranded passengers face complicated rebooking processes, with some missing connections to intercontinental flights through major hubs like London Heathrow, Paris, and Amsterdam.
Were you or someone you know affected by this technical glitch with Air Traffic Control at Edinburgh Airport? Let us know in the comments section below!
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.