Edinburgh Airport Resumes Flights After Air Traffic Control IT Issue
Flights at Edinburgh Airport have returned to normal following a significant disruption caused by an IT failure impacting its air traffic control provider. The airport initially halted all departures and arrivals this morning, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, but confirmed services resumed later in the day.
The disruption began wiht a complete shutdown of flight operations.An initial statement from Edinburgh Airport confirmed, “No flights are currently operating from Edinburgh Airport,” adding that “teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.” The airport initially provided no timeframe for when normal service would be restored.
The IT issue affected the systems of the airport’s air traffic control provider, causing widespread delays and cancellations. A Delta Air Lines flight traveling from New York to Edinburgh was forced to divert to Dublin after entering a holding pattern over the Scottish capital. A live arrivals board on the airport’s website displayed a cascade of diverted, delayed, and cancelled flights.
Passengers experienced significant frustration and uncertainty. Morven McCall and Cody Stevenson, both 19, were preparing for their first trip together – a flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on Easyjet – when their travel plans were abruptly derailed. “We literally just got into the airport and as soon as we walked through the door there was an declaration that it had been cancelled,” McCall told Sky News. “I was ill over the summer and had to cancel two holidays already, this was our first time going away together.We are just gutted and stressed.”
Other travelers shared their experiences. One passenger, already on board a flight scheduled to depart at 8:45 a.m., recounted how the pilot informed them of the situation after a period of waiting on the tarmac. “He updated us a couple of times, cabin crew are brilliant handing out water etc. and I’m surprised that everyone appears to be upbeat,” the passenger said. “But then you do wonder how long for, just been told hoping to be in air in 20 minutes.” Another passenger noted the confusion surrounding the initial delay, stating, “The first news was from the airport announcement as we were half way through boarding, saying the airfield was closed due to air-traffic control down. No one knew what was going on. We’d already been delayed a bit before boarding with no reason.I suspect problems started about 9.00.”
Authorities confirmed the issue was unrelated to a separate, concurrent outage affecting Cloudflare. Edinburgh Trams also acknowledged the disruption, posting on X, formerly Twitter, to inform passengers traveling to the airport of the operational halt.
The airport urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for the most up-to-date information regarding their flights. On average, Edinburgh Airport serves 43,000 passengers daily, with service from 37 airlines connecting to 155 destinations.
The airport later announced the resolution of the issue via a post on X: “Flights have now resumed following the IT issue with our air traffic provider.” The airport expressed gratitude for passengers’ “patience and understanding.” However, the effects of the disruption are expected to linger as airlines work to manage the backlog of affected flights and passengers.
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