Gatwick flight diversions chaos as dozens diverted as far away as Manchester

Long list of delayed departures at Gatwick as chaos continues

Frustrated passengers are continuing to be faced with delayed flights at Gatwick Airport in chaos sparked by a shortage of air traffic control staff.

The departure board shows many flights planned for this morning are being delayed but usually by no more than an hour or an hour and half. It comes with the airport now functioning as normal with sufficient air traffic controllers.

One traveller wrote: "Off to Germany finally !!! After a cancelled flight being transferred from Gatwick to Heathrow for a hotel stay then having to figure out our own way to airport Lufthansa has finally got us on a runway. Exhausted and very overtired ... and will end up sleeping the first few hours of Oktoberfest opening just to let our brains catch up to our bodies."

While a passenger returning to the UK said on Facebook: "Sitting in Palma Airport, so we have a minimum delay of 2 hrs, plane just left Gatwick! No surprise after hearing about air traffic control and delays and flight diversions last night."

'Airport operating as normal' states Gatwick

Gatwick Airport has confirmed that it is "operating as normal" today after passengers have faced chaos with flight changes and cancellations.

"The tower is fully staffed and the airport is operating as normal today," a spokesperson for the airport told The Mirror.

A lack of air traffic control staff on Thursday led to the mayhem with flight unable to take off and others diverted to other airports. Frustrated passengers have had to face long delays before their flights leave and others are facing coach trips from other airports where planes were re-routed.

One affected traveller wrote on Facebook: "We just landed in Gatwick ... flight started at 16:35 last night ànd finished just now."

Brit Embassy spy 'was disgusted with himself' for selling secrets to Russians

Passenger tells of 'nightmare' being rerouted to Manchester Airport

An angry traveller is having to take a coach down to Gatwick from Manchester Airport after their flight from Turkey was rerouted.

The passenger said that she had to take the option of flying to Manchester or wait several days for another flight from Dalaman.

They wrote on Facebook: "Apparently due to staff shortages at Gatwick there were no flights (...) just landed at Manchester Airport!!!! Other option was to stay in Dalaman but could of been 2/3 days to get back. So now on a coach to Gatwick!!! Nightmare!!!"

So far today there have been reports of delays in taking off for flights including British Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air and Norwegian.

Angry passengers spend night on terminal floors after cancellations

Flight chaos at Gatwick Airport has led to people spending the night on the terminal floors after hotels in the area quickly booked up following flight cancellations.

Dozens of flights have been affected due to a lack of air traffic control staff with cancellations and planes re-routed sparking outrage from passenger.

One traveller at the airport, Caroline Monks, told ITV: "Our whole holiday could be cancelled if we can’t get another flight," while another Debbie Barrett said: "It is disgusting how they have treated us, no updates they have just left us."

Airlines have also been left frustrated with the situation and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called on Nats chief executive to resign.

Network of independent travel agents calls situation 'unacceptable'

The head of Advantage Travel Partnership - a network of independent travel agents - has called the situation at Gatwick Airport 'unacceptable'.

Chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “The situation at Gatwick is unacceptable. This kind of disruption causes havoc for travellers and has huge financial implications for airlines, travel agents and the entire ecosystem.

“There needs to be an urgent inquiry into why there appears to be staff shortages in this crucial area, and measures implemented to stop these incidents occurring again.”

What was the cause of the problems at Gatwick Airport?

Gatwick airport has revealed there was a short notice staff absence in its ATC tower, which is managed by the under-scutiny National Air Traffic Services (NATS).

It caused a total of 42 flights to be cancelled or diverted, likely affecting more than 6,000 passengers, as well as a string of delays on other services.

The embarassing incident comes just over two weeks after a Bank Holiday glitch unleashed chaos at airports across the UK, leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded abroad for several days.

Third time in just over a fortnight

It is the third time in just over a fortnight that flights to and from the Sussex airport have been disrupted as a result of problems at Nats.

On August 28, Bank Holiday Monday, the Nats control system for the entire UK was hit by a technical glitch, causing widespread disruption.

More than a quarter of flights to and from UK airports were cancelled that day, affecting around 250,000 people.

Cancellations continued for two more days as planes and crews were out of position.

A week later, the airport was subjected to a restriction in the number of planes that could take off and land because of “short notice sickness”.

'I don’t even know if I can get back tonight'

Laura Neary, 29, was due to catch a Ryanair flight to Dublin at 5.30pm, but it diverted to London Stansted, which she had to travel to by coach.

Ms Neary, who was travelling on her own, said some of the passengers received text messages saying they would need to take a coach to reach Stansted, in Essex, while others were told they could still board the flight from Gatwick.

The sales worker, who is from the Irish capital, said: “I don’t even know if I can get back to Dublin tonight.”

Ryanair boss calls on Nats chief executive to resign

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called on Nats chief executive to resign.

Mr O’Leary said: “It is unacceptable that more flights and hundreds of passengers are suffering delays to/from Gatwick Airport due to Nats CEO Martin Rolfe’s blatant failure to adequately staff UK ATC.

“Airlines are paying millions of pounds to Nats each and every year and should not have to see their passengers suffer avoidable delays due to UK ATC staff shortages.”

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary (WILL OLIVER/EPA/REX/Shutterstock)

LATEST - More than 6,000 passengers are likely to have been affected

The latest update says more than 6,000 passengers are likely to have been affected by cancellations.

The airport confirmed a short notice staff absence in its ATC tower, managed by National Air Traffic Services (Nats), which meant 42 flights were cancelled or diverted while dozens more were heavily delayed on Thursday.

Analysis of flight tracking data shows that first departure cancelled due to air traffic control restrictions was an easyJet flight to Berlin, due to take off at 5pm.

Fourteen departures and 12 arrivals were cancelled at Gatwick on Thursday from that time.

The first diverted arrival was a British Airways flight from Faro, Portugal.

It was due to touch down at 3.35pm, but landed at Cardiff Airport instead.

A total of 16 arrivals were diverted to a range of airports: including Bournemouth, Cardiff, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted.

Thousands of people feared to have been affected tonight

Travel industry expert calls for inquiry after tonight's Gatwick travel problems

An expert in the travel industry has joined the chorus of people slamming tonight’s problems at Gatwick Airport.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership - a network of independent travel agents, said: "The situation at Gatwick is unacceptable. This kind of disruption causes havoc for travellers and has huge financial implications for airlines, travel agents and the entire ecosystem.

"There needs to be an urgent inquiry into why there appears to be staff shortages in this crucial area, and measures implemented to stop these incidents occurring again."

EasyJet 'very disappointed' by tonight's delays

EasyJet has said it is “very disappointed” by tonight’s issues at Gatwick, and promised to help those on cancelled flights.

In a statement they airline said: “Nats air traffic control staffing shortages at Gatwick today have led to a significantly reduced flow rate being imposed on airlines, meaning some flights are being disrupted.

"We are very disappointed customers are once again impacted by this - and while this is outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our customers.

"We are doing all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption, notifying those on cancelled flights of options to rebook or receive a refund, and provide hotel accommodation and meals where required."

(Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)

Gatwick delays are a "shambles", says stranded passenger

As tonight's chaos begins to wind down, some passengers are still sharing their frustrations at the earlier problems.

Hundreds of people experienced problems getting home because of a lack of staff in air traffic control at Gatwick Airport.

One person took to social media when they had three flights cancelled, as they described the situation as a "shambles".

#gatwickairport absolute shambles and even worse handling of the situation by @TUIUK. Three flights cancelled whilst we were kept waiting which meant all hotels fully booked. Only offered £150 to cover travel/hotel expenses and no indication of when new flight will be

— Beth (@Honcoooop) September 14, 2023

A total of 22 flights were cancelled, says airport

Air traffic issues are 'improving', says Gatwick

Passengers fearing how they will get home to the UK

While some people in airspace over the UK are wondering where they are going to land, others still abroard are fretting how they will get home.

One person has tweeted they have been diverted to Belgium as the chaos rumbles on.

Stuck at Brussels Airport! Flight diverted here as Gatwick Airport is closed. Any information @Gatwick_Airport

— Sally Richards @[email protected] (@SallyRichards4) September 14, 2023

Gatwick delays are 'unacceptable' - Which?

James Hyson's pic of map shows flight heading away from Gatwick

James Hyson (see earlier post) shared this image from his seat screen. He said travellers on board were initially given no information and only found out the plane was being re-routed from this map shown on seat screens:

James Hyson's pic of map shows flight heading away from Gatwick

'What a mess'

Twitter user Brent Green raged: "Well done [Gatwick Airport].

"Allowing people to board the plane and then letting them know that we are delayed for over 2 hours due to restrictions. What a mess".

To which the aiport replied from its X account: "I understand that this is a stressful time. Unfortunately, this is out of our control the disruption has only been announced, please speak with your airline for more information. Apologies".

Passengers hit out as one flight diverted to BRUSSELS

James Hyson was on a flight from mainland Europe to Gatwick. He told the Express his plane was diverted from the airport and is now heading to Brussels. He said travellers on board were initially given no information and only found out the plane was being re-routed from the map shown on seat screens.

Meanwhile, Nina Jasinski wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Stuck on the tarmac in Bilbao being told that our @vueling flights can’t take off as there is only one person working in traffic control in @Gatwick_Airport - is this possible?"

'We apologise very sincerely to people who have been inconvenienced' - NATS

The NATS, which provides en-route air traffic control services to flights in the UK, has apologised for the issues faced by poeple this evening.

In a statement, the spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with the airport to ensure we can handle flights with as little disruption as possible and we apologise very sincerely to people who have been inconvenienced as a result of unavoidable diversions.

"We are working closely with Gatwick Airport Ltd to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. New air traffic controllers have been recruited since last summer, increasing our presence by 17 percent, and others are due to start after completing their training, in line with the agreed plan when NATS took over the contract last October.

"London Gatwick’s senior management understands that we are working hard to keep the operation moving. Airlines operating at London Gatwick were aware of the situation when NATS was appointed but that does not dilute the apology we offer sincerely to them and their passengers who have been inconvenienced by recent disruption."

Where are passengers being diverted to?

Poeple hoping to arrive in Gatwick tonight may recieve a rude awakening when they come into land.

So far, people have reported being sent to Luton, Stansted and Bournemouth instead of the Sussex airport.

Passengers urged to check with their airlines before flights

In response to the ongoing issues affecting the airline, the airport has told people to check the latest information with their airlines.

The temporary air traffic restrictions are causing delays for people hoping to land.

In a tweet to unhappy passengers, the airport said people should contact their airlines for the "most up to date information."

Temporary air traffic control restrictions are in place due to short notice absence in the Air Traffic Control Tower. Please contact the airline directly for the most up to date information. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused. Jamie

— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) September 14, 2023

Frustrated passengers venting anger on X

Severla people facing long nights have shared their frustrations with the ongoing delays on social media.

One passenger wrote: "Some delays?? My flight has been cancelled, because the plane that should pick us up here has been diverted to STN (Stansted)."

London Gatwick Airport spokesperson releases statement

It is unknown how long the delays will affect people's flights this evening. A London Gatwick Airport spokesperson said they were working to ensure the disruption is limited.

They added: “Due to a short notice staff absence in the Air Traffic Control tower, temporary air traffic control restrictions have been put in place this evening. This will cause some delays.

“London Gatwick would like to apologise to any passengers who have been impacted by these restrictions. Please contact your airline for more information.”

“NATS are a world-class provider of air traffic services and London Gatwick’s senior management recognises how hard the airport’s air traffic controllers are working to keep the operation moving. We are working closely with NATS to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.”