Despite airlines’ efforts to normalize operations, travelers urged to verify flight status prior to departure.
Ongoing disturbances in the air travel sector persist as UK airports confront another day of flight cancellations and delays. This comes as a follow-up to the air traffic system malfunction that disrupted thousands of journeys on Bank Holiday Monday (details below), reports Candiece Cyrus.
However, there has been a notable reduction in the volume of affected flights since yesterday (Tuesday). As of 9 a.m. this morning, approximately 60 inbound and outbound flights to the UK have been canceled, constituting around 2% of the total flight count, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Cirium’s analysis further indicates that Heathrow Airport leads in the number of cancellations, trailed by Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.
Heathrow’s official website continues to recommend passengers verify their flight’s operational status before making their way to the airport.
Aberdeen Airport acknowledges that a limited number of its services remain impacted today and has advised travelers to consult airlines for ongoing flight updates.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) asserts that airlines should assume responsibility for additional expenses such as meals, beverages, and accommodations, if passengers experience overnight delays.
However, due to the nature of Monday’s incident, airlines are not obligated to reimburse passengers for their flight costs since the system failure was beyond their control. Nevertheless, affected passengers might be eligible to claim compensation for disruptions through their travel insurance.
A representative from the Association of British Insurers emphasized: “Individuals who have been impacted by the recent air travel disruptions should liaise with their air carrier, tour operator, or travel agent to ascertain their legal entitlements. Travelers intending to fly should remain informed and adhere to current advisories.
“While travel insurance provides primary coverage for often exorbitant expenses related to emergency medical treatment abroad, including urgent return to the UK for medical reasons, these policies may extend some coverage for delays and interruptions. However, the extent of such coverage varies, underscoring the importance of understanding your policy’s terms.”
Several carriers, such as easyJet and Tui, are affording passengers the flexibility of either a full refund or the option to reschedule their flights at no extra cost. Additionally, easyJet has initiated five repatriation flights to Gatwick Airport as follows:
Palma and Faro on today’s schedule
Tenerife and Enfidha on Thursday, August 31st
Rhodes on Friday, September 1st
Furthermore, the airline has introduced larger aircraft for key routes this week, including Faro, Ibiza, Dalaman, and Tenerife, generating around 700 supplementary seats.
Britain’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) attributed Monday’s technical malfunction to its flight planning system’s inability to process certain flight data.
Martin Rolfe, CEO of NATS, clarified: “Initial inquiries into the issue indicate a connection to some of the received flight data. Both our primary systems and backup mechanisms responded by suspending automated processing to prevent any dissemination of erroneous safety-related information to air traffic controllers or interference with the broader air traffic system. No indications of a cyberattack have surfaced.
“Our long-established protocols, overseen by the CAA, are in place to investigate such incidents. We are already collaborating closely with them to furnish an initial report to the Secretary of State for Transport by Monday. The findings of this report will be disclosed to the public.
“I would like to reiterate my apologies to everyone affected by these disruptions.”