One of Ryanair's bosses is calling for the resignation of NATS chief Martin Rolfe over the technical error today.

Neal McMahon, of Ryanair, says "it is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of NATS".

The statement continues, saying "yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers travel plans have been disrupted".

Referring to an previous incident under Rolfe's leadership, McMahon says it's clear "no lessons have been learnt".

He then calls on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to intervene should Rolfe fail to resign over today's issue.

• For context: In August 2023, hundreds of flights were cancelled at the UK's busiest airports due to an air traffic control glitch, and more than a quarter of planned flights in and out of the UK were cancelled. All airlines operating in the UK were affected, with more than 500 flights cancelled.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: "I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice."

British Airways says the number of its inbound and outbound flights at Heathrow is restricted to a total of 32 per hour until 19:15 BST.

After then, the flow rate will return to the usual level of 45 per hour.

Image source, Kirk Ryan

Earlier, we brought you details from Kirk Ryan, who was stuck with his young family on a plane at Liverpool airport.

Ryan has just been back in touch to say the flight has been told it can leave - he, his wife and two children are now heading to Turkey as planned.

John Fernandez
BBC Guernsey

Flights in the Channel Islands are delayed due to the technical issue affecting UK departures.

Officials at Guernsey Ports said they were monitoring the issue and would update passengers when they know more.

Jersey passengers were being advised to check with their airline as usual unless told otherwise.

Here's a new statement from the National Air Traffic Services.

"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. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue."

Dublin airport says some delays to flights to and from the airport "are possible this evening" and advises passengers due to fly to contact their airline for updates.

London City airport has warned that some flights may be cancelled.

In a statement on X earlier, the airport says: "Due to a technical issue with air traffic control across the London area, flights in and out of London airports - including London City Airport - might be delayed or subject to cancellation."

As other airports are doing, it advises passengers to check with their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.

Cardiff airport says the issue has led to a "small number of delayed departures" for them.

"We are liaising closely with air traffic control and will continue to keep our customers updated," a statement says.

"We have been advised that the issue has now been resolved, and measures are being taken to minimise any further impact on operations."

EasyJet says: "An earlier technical issue at the NATS air traffic control centre today has been causing disruption to flights to and from the UK.

"We are advising customers travelling this evening to check our Flight Tracker for the most up to date information on their flight and are contacting all impacted customers directly.

"While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the ATC [air traffic control] failure."

British Airways says the earlier air traffic control problem is affecting the "vast majority" of its flights.

"Whilst this is entirely outside of our control, we want to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and assure them that our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as quickly as possible," the airline adds.

Another airport reports flights resuming.

Stansted has confirmed to the BBC that flights are now departing and arriving again.

It earlier said the air traffic control issue was affecting flights across the country - "meaning many departures and arrivals are currently impacted".

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In a statement, Liverpool airport says:

"There is a UK airspace issue affecting flights across the south-east of the country and as a consequence departures from all UK airports that would route towards that part of the country have been temporarily suspended, including from here at Liverpool.

"Flights from Liverpool to the west, including to the Isle of Man, Belfast International and Dublin are still expected to depart.

"Arriving flights also appear to be unaffected at present.

"Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the latest information regarding particular flights."

A spokesperson for AGS Airports, which operates airports in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton, says: "We urge passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline."

Bristol airport says that flights have now resumed there following the NATS issue being resolved.

Another of London's airports - Luton - says flights are resuming, while warning of delays.

"This was a national issue impacting departures across the UK, flights have now resumed but we recommend passengers check with airlines," the airport says in a statement.

Newcastle airport says: "An issue in London’s airspace is impacting national airport operations and all departures are currently suspended.

"We will provide an update in due course."

Gatwick and Heathrow airports say flights are resuming, but with delays.

London Gatwick earlier said there were no departures because of the air traffic control issue.

In a new post of X, it says that although the technical issue has been resolved, there are "some delays at London Gatwick while operations resume".

It asks passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline.

Travel journalist Simon Calder tells Radio Scotland's Drivetime that - even though the technical problem is resolved - the knock-on effects will be huge.

"There's going to be so much that unravels as a result of this that we are talking hundreds of thousands of people that will be affected by it.

"It's an unbelievable meltdown."