easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair statements as UK flights hit by huge delays amid air traffic control failure

UK airspace has been hit by a technical fault, the country’s leading provider of air traffic control services said.

The PA news agency understands passengers boarding flights back to the UK have been told of the fault.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it is experiencing a “technical issue” and has applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety.

It said in a statement: “We are currently experiencing a technical issue and have applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and fix the fault. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The BBC has reported that NATS has said airspace is not closed, with a spokesman adding: "We are continuing to work hard to resolve the technical issue. To clarify, UK airspace is not closed, we have had to apply air traffic flow restrictions which ensures we can maintain safety."

The failure has affected a number of flights departing and arriving into the UK.

British Airways said in a statement: “We are working closely with NATS to understand the impact of a technical issue that is affecting UK airspace and will keep our customers up to date with the latest information.”

Ryanair has told travellers: "Due to an ATC equipment failure (flight data processing system failure) affecting UK air traffic control, Ryanair has regrettably been forced to cancel a small number of flights to/from/overflying the UK today, Mon 28 Aug.

"All affected passengers will receive a notification advising of their options to change free of charge to another Ryanair flight or receive a full refund.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this ATC equipment failure which is entirely beyond Ryanair’s control and is affecting all