Edinburgh Flight Delays Continue After Major Air Traffic Control Outage

Passengers faced major Edinburgh flight delays on Wednesday after an air traffic control outage forced a full suspension of flights. The issue affected all departures and arrivals at Edinburgh Airport. As a result, many travellers reported frustration and confusion during the sudden shutdown.

Edinburgh Flights Disrupted After Major IT Outage

The airport grounded flights for almost two hours. However, services resumed at 10:40 once the system came back online. Several passengers said they remained stuck on planes during the pause, which added to the overall discomfort.

Long Delays Continue After Flights Resume

Operations restarted, but problems continued. In addition, knock-on delays created longer waiting times for travellers across multiple destinations. Some flights also faced diversions and cancellations, which increased the pressure on staff and airlines.
Airport officials explained that the outage came from an IT issue within their air traffic control provider, ANS. They stressed that the technical fault affected communication and made normal operations unsafe. Therefore, the team stopped flights to protect passengers and crew.
In a statement, Edinburgh Airport thanked people for their patience and understanding. They also encouraged travellers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport. For example, some flights may still face schedule changes throughout the day.
The situation highlighted how important reliable air traffic control systems are. Even a short outage can ripple through the entire network. As a result, thousands of people continue to adjust their travel plans.
Staff members said they are working to minimise disruption. However, they also warned that delays could last for several hours. Travellers hope operations stabilise soon so they can their journeys without further stress.