Heathrow hit by MORE cancellations after air traffic failure
· The South African
UK flight chaos has rolled into a second day, with Heathrow bearing the brunt of the disruption.
Airlines cancelled around 1 300 flights to and from UK airports on Tuesday after an air traffic control failure hit the network.
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By Wednesday, another 177 flights had already been cancelled, with Heathrow accounting for nearly all of them, according to Flightradar24.
The disruption began when a technical fault affected the flight data processing system operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS).
NATS restored the system on Tuesday evening, but the knock-on effects continue.
Airlines now face the challenge of repositioning aircraft and crews, while thousands of passengers try to rebook disrupted journeys.
Heathrow passengers face further disruption
Heathrow suspended arrivals for the rest of Tuesday after the technical failure, although departures later resumed.
The airport warned that disruption would continue as airlines worked through the backlog and urged passengers to check their flight status before travelling.
British Airways also confirmed on Wednesday that it continued to experience disruption.
The airline said some aircraft and crews remained out of position following Tuesday’s problems, which would affect some flights across its network.
BA urged passengers to check their booking before travelling but said customers who had not received a notification about a change should arrive at the airport at their original departure time.
What about flights to South Africa?
Direct flights between Heathrow and South Africa remain on the schedule on Wednesday morning.
British Airways currently lists two Johannesburg services, BA55 and BA57, while Virgin Atlantic operates VS449 between Heathrow and OR Tambo International Airport.
British Airways’ BA59 also connects Heathrow with Cape Town.
Flight trackers continued to list Wednesday’s BA55, BA57, VS449 and BA59 services as scheduled when checked on Wednesday morning.
That means there is no blanket cancellation of direct UK-South Africa flights.
Passengers should still watch their flight status closely because airlines can change schedules as they recover from Tuesday’s disruption.
South African passengers have already felt the delays
Tuesday’s disruption did affect South Africa-bound passengers.
British Airways flight BA55 from Heathrow to Johannesburg left more than three hours late. The aircraft departed the gate at 22:15 instead of its scheduled 19:00 departure and was expected to reach Johannesburg more than three hours behind schedule.
BA59 from Heathrow to Cape Town also left late. FlightStats recorded an actual departure at 23:32, compared with its scheduled 22:30 departure.
The delays highlight how disruption elsewhere in the UK network can reach long-haul routes even after air traffic controllers fix the original problem.
Why one cancellation can create problems
Only a small number of nonstop flights connect London with Johannesburg and Cape Town each day.
On Wednesday’s schedule, four direct Heathrow-South Africa services are due to operate: three to Johannesburg and one to Cape Town.
If an airline cancels one of those flights, passengers have fewer direct alternatives than travellers flying on high-frequency European routes.
Airlines may have to move passengers to a later service or reroute them through another international hub.
Connecting passengers also face a risk.
A traveller flying from another UK city into Heathrow could miss the South Africa leg if their first flight suffers a lengthy delay or cancellation.
British Airways says it will automatically arrange alternative onward travel for passengers who miss a connecting flight when both sectors form part of the same booking.
What should passengers do?
Passengers should check their flight directly with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Those travelling through Heathrow should also check connecting flights separately and allow additional time for disruption.
NATS says its system is now operating normally, but clearing the backlog will take time.
The immediate technical problem may be over, but UK airlines still face the task of getting aircraft, crews and passengers back where they need to be.