Duncan Smith
BBC News Online

That's all from BBC London Local Live today. For more updates on the ongoing flights disruption keep an eye on the BBC News website throughout the evening and watch the BBC News Channel.

BBC London Local Live will return on Monday at 08:00.

Gatwick Airport, external: Travel to the airport as normal and contact your airline for flight information.

Heathrow Airport, external: Please check your flight status before travelling to the airport.

London City Airport, external: There will be cancellations and delays, please check with your airlines.

Luton Airport, external: Flights now resumed but please expect residual delays.

Image source, PA

The situation around the country includes:

• Heathrow: Fifty flights cancelled. Others delayed but planes now landing and taking off

• Gatwick: Flights are now departing but still subject to delays

• Stansted: Flights still landing, no flights departing

• London City: Cancellations and delays

• Luton: All flights experiencing delays

• Bristol: Limited departures reported

• Luton: All flights experiencing delays but planes now leaving

• Edinburgh: No queues but passengers being advised to check with their airlines

• Glasgow: Some delays to departures

• Southampton: Experiencing ''problems''

• Oxford: Experiencing "some delays", mainly to services arriving from overseas

• Leeds Bradford: All flights out and most flights in suspended until 1900

• Birmingham: Some departures are being re-routed to avoid flying through London airspace

• East Midlands: Departures and arrivals delayed but passengers advised to turn up as normal

Ben Ando
BBC News

As soon as air traffic control has a problem, nothing is allowed to take off that might add to the problem.

This is unlikely to be power problem as there are duplicate and back-up systems - including even diesel generators at a push.

It is more likely to be software, which caused the last major problem when the incoming morning crew could not switch over from night-time control system.

With aircraft out of position, or flight crews out of hours, there are likely to be knock-on problems for many flights.

Beth Rose
BBC News Online

Space seems to be running out at London City Airport as passengers wait for information about their flights.

Image source, @Kaweechelchen

Thanks to @kaweechekchen, external for the picture.

Tom Symonds
Home Affairs correspondent

Security sources have not seen any evidence the problems were caused by computer hacking.

National air traffic services (Nats) insists at no point was the airspace closed.

Planes were allowed to land, albeit at a reduced rate but, aircraft were being held on the ground. Since Heathrow operates close to its maximum capacity on a good day - severe disruption was inevitable.

Several flights due to depart from Bristol Airport were running late this evening but no services have yet been cancelled.

A spokeswoman said: "Delays can be expected throughout the rest of the day, although at this point no flights to or from Bristol Airport have been cancelled as a result. We are doing all we can to keep passengers informed of the latest updates on their flight status."

Travel journalist Simon Calder told the BBC air traffic control over London was "a constant game of three-dimensional chess".

He said the impact of the failure on the busiest travel day of the week, Friday, meant cancellations would quickly build up.

Passenger Howard Brown said: "We left Glasgow at 9.30 this morning and arrived at Heathrow at 10.30. We were due to leave on our second flight to Rome at 12.40 but it was delayed due to industrial action in Italy. We were eventually allowed to board this plane at 2.45 hoping to take off 45 minutes later but we're still just sitting here.

"The staff have said we're in a queue for take off but have no idea where in the queue we are. We have been here for over two hours and we still haven't been offered drinks.

"There are a few babies on board who have been kicking off but at the moment things are relatively calm."

Teenager Florence I Weston tweets, external: @BBCLondonNews, external stuck at @HeathrowAirport, external awaiting a flight to Singapore at 7 and it's my 18th tomorrow - I may have it at Heathrow!!

Federica Ceresca said: "I was flying from Marseilles when 45 minutes into the flight, the first officer said we wouldn't be able to land at Heathrow Airport as there was a technical problem.

Image source, Federica Ceresa

"We were then just about to land in Paris when they rerouted us to Brussels. Then we were about to land when they rerouted us again to Heathrow. We were on the first plane to land at Heathrow. Arrivals was empty. It was like the desert. The rebooking line though was extremely long."

BBC News Channel

Managing director of operations at NATS, Martin Rolfe told the BBC News Channel: "Obviously, it will take a while for the airline schedule to get back to normal.

"Any disruption like that will take a little while to work through the system, but yes, the system is back up and running."

The scene at Heathrow airport this evening as the knock-on effects of the airspace restriction are felt by passengers.

Passenger Liz Clifford said: "I was booked on the 15.33 Flybe flight to Southampton from Manchester Airport. There is no room for us in the airport so we are currently stuck on a bus on the tarmac - had to wait 35 minutes for one to become available.

"People are starting to get more irritated. We haven't received any further information, nor refreshments."

Beth Rose
BBC News Online

British Airways has said any passengers due to fly out of Heathrow, Gatwick or London City Airport tonight are entitled to rebook their flights or get a full refund.

In a statement the company said: "We anticipate disruption to both departing and arriving flights but will do all we can to minimise any impact.

Image source, Getty Images

"We will endeavour to keep our customers informed of the status of their flight but we would urge anyone with a flight booking to check ba.com, external before leaving for the airport.

"If you do not wish to travel from Heathrow, Gatwick or London City this evening we are offering our customers the opportunity to rebook their flight to a later date or a full refund."

Martin Rolfe, the managing director of National Air Traffic Services (Nats), has apologised for this afternoon's disruption.

He said NATS is still investigating the technical problem that occurred.

He ruled out any power outage, which was first thought to blame, and confirmed there was a failure in the flight data element of its system. This resulted in flight controllers having less data available to them and therefore the rate of air traffic was reduced for safety reasons.

Mr Rolfe absolutely ruled out the disruption was caused by any kind of system computer hack.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said: "Disruption on this scale is simply unacceptable and I have asked Nats for a full explanation of this evening's incident."

Anna Devonald emails: My sister Julie Woods and her husband Stewart are travelling from Heathrow to New York and were stranded on the runway.

The flight has now left but passengers have been told that because the plane was running, a refuel in Boston was necessary but now have been informed that they may have to travel by train from Boston to New York.

Tracey Atkinson emails: Why should the airlines have to pay overnight costs etc? This really isn't their fault. Common sense says these costs are for passengers travel insurance to cover, but strange EC regulations say otherwise.

Nigel Highes emails: Sitting on an NYC bound flight at Heathrow. Media hyperbole fun to watch. 51st in line - lucky us...

Simon Peach arrived on a flight from Istanbul to Heathrow and after an hour on the ground was still waiting to disembark.

He told the BBC that "it sounds like things are moving in the right direction."

BBC London 94.9
Radio

Eddie Nestor spoke to a passenger at Heathrow who told BBC London 94.9: "I'm supposed to be going to Chicago. I'd like to get back to my family."