Gatwick flights delayed due to airport system outage

One flight was cancelled and two were diverted from Gatwick Airport

Travellers have been hit by delays at Gatwick Airport after a systems outage affected dozens of flights.

Passengers flying to and from the West Sussex airport reported planes being stuck on the tarmac after the problems began at about 08:00 GMT.

One man travelling from Dublin said he was told his Aer Lingus flight would be delayed by at least two hours.

The airport said the air traffic control outage had been fixed, but apologised for ongoing delays.

One flight was cancelled and two more were diverted while dozens of departures and arrivals were affected in knock-on delays.

Football fans travelling to Premier League matches were among those affected.

Danny Bellringer, 45, was travelling from the Republic of Ireland with fellow Brighton & Hove Albion supporters for the team's match against Burnley when they were told their flight would be delayed.

"There's not a huge amount we can do," he said.

"We're kind of used to it when travelling over from Ireland to the UK for games. It very rarely goes completely smoothly."

'Poor show'

Padraic Mac Aonghusa, 24, said passengers on his Ryanair flight from Dublin were "angry" when the pilot announced there would be a delay due to the issues at the airport.

He was travelling for the match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool and was delayed for an hour and 15 minutes.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: "There was an outage to a local Nats system earlier this morning which has now been rectified.

"Some passengers may experience delays. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Posting on X, Becky Murphy said she had been waiting for an hour at baggage reclaim.

She said: "Gatwick Airport, this is a crowd hazard now. People are getting frustrated, as I am. Please do something."

Bernadette Fallon said she had missed her Aer Lingus flight from Gatwick to Dublin after the delays.

"The flight transfer desk was closed so I couldn't get my boarding card," she said.

"I was sent around the houses and eventually ended up back in main terminal. I had to come back through security again and missed the flight. Poor show."

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