In pictures: What caused the UK air traffic control failure?

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In pictures: What caused the UK air traffic control failure?

Heathrow and Gatwick airports both experienced steep delays and cancellations

Published: August 29, 2023 10:14 Compiled by Nivetha Dayanand, Web Editor, with inputs from Bloomberg

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Copy of 2023-08-28T152327Z_723903653_RC23X2A9BRO1_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-AIRPORT-1693287430092 — Air-traffic control services in the UK sought to restore normal operations after an hours-long system outage led to hundreds of delays and cancellations on one of the busiest days this travel season. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 2023-08-28T151751Z_106235961_RC23X2A8EPF0_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-AIRPORT-1693287433660 — The NATS authority said it had "identified and remedied" the technical issue that knocked out the automated flight planning system earlier on Monday. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of Britain_Air_Traffic_Problems_93004--d7c53-1693287418660 — The system failure prevented planners from automatically processing flight plans and forced them instead to revert to manual input, meaning they couldn't manage the same volumes. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of Britain_Air_Traffic_Problems_77058--fb64c-1693287423922 — Heathrow and Gatwick airports both experienced steep delays and cancellations, with chaotic scenes playing out at London's two main hubs as the number of axed flights swelled. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 2023-08-22T113010Z_680233356_RC2YS2AIQP3J_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-IMMIGRATION-1693287446897 — The glitch coincided with one of the most active extended travel weekends, with the UK off on a national holiday on Monday and summer-vacation travelers returning back home. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of Britain_Air_Traffic_Problems_85093--d6af9-1693287421620 — Some 3,049 flights were due to depart UK airports on Monday, with about the same amount arriving, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 2023-08-22T113009Z_1458701976_RC2YS2A1R5J0_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-IMMIGRATION-1693287449121 — The failure occurred on a system that logs each aircraft's flight plan, which allows controllers monitoring flights to know where planes are headed and other important data, according to a statement by NATS. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 2023-08-28T150715Z_367365902_RC23X2A80VUB_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-AIRPORT-1693287441087 — The separate technology the company uses to track aircraft positions appeared to be functioning. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of Britain_Air_Traffic_Problems_10410--1482b-1693287426516 — The issue had some similarities to a January 11 outage in the US that prompted a halt to all departures for a brief period and led to about 10,000 delays. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 2023-08-28T150139Z_848097764_RC23X2AFD3BV_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-AIRPORT-1693287444580 — In that case, a Federal Aviation Administration computer that logged safety alerts covering such things as runway closures was shut down after contractors damaged an underlying database. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 2023-08-22T112921Z_1499294236_RC2YS2AK5WPX_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-IMMIGRATION-1693287451179 — While the UK air space wasn't outright shut down, NATS said it has had to apply severe flow restrictions to maintain safety. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Copy of 2023-08-22T112822Z_1297544025_RC2YS2A3SKV7_RTRMADP_3_BRITAIN-IMMIGRATION-1693287453195 — Some international airlines were also affected, with Deutsche Lufthansa canceling flights from Frankfurt to Heathrow and Dutch carrier KLM circumnavigating the UK. Image Credit: REUTERS

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