UK air traffic system failure: Will UAE flights be impacted after airlines warn passengers of ongoing delays?

Currently, Emirates and Etihad Airways operate direct flights to the UK

Waheed Abbas

Published: Tue 29 Aug 2023, 12:42 PM

Last updated: Tue 29 Aug 2023, 10:25 PM

Flights to and from the UK were back to normal on Tuesday after Britain's air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown on Monday, resulting in delays and cancellations of a number of hundreds of flights by several airlines.

Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates flights experienced delays on Monday after Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) faced a technical glitch in the system which was identified and remedied later in the day. But the airport was suffering from a backlog late on Monday.

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“All Emirates flights to and from the United Kingdom are operating as normal, after the systems failure within UK Air Traffic Control on August 28 was rectified. Some of our flights departing the UK yesterday (August 28) experienced delays as a result of the situation, and Emirates apologises to its customers for the inconvenience,” an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement to Khaleej Times.

Currently, Emirates and Etihad Airways operate direct flights to the UK.

The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways on Monday said all of its flights to the UK were planned to operate as scheduled but there might be delays due to Britain's air traffic control system hit by a breakdown that slowed takeoffs and landings.

On Tuesday, British transport minister Mark Harper said it would take days to resolve the widespread disruption of flights into and out of the country after air traffic control systems were hit by a technical problem.

London’s Heathrow Airport on Tuesday said due to yesterday’s technical issues suffered by UK Air Traffic Control, there may be some continuing disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations.

“It is important for all passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport and for those passengers who need to rebook to contact their airline directly rather than travelling to Heathrow,” it said on Tuesday.

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