ATC outage grounds UK flights as Heathrow and Gatwick face disruption

A technical fault at UK air traffic control provider Nats caused widespread disruption across the UK, with around 625 flights canceled and roughly 4% of UK services affected. Heathrow and Gatwick were among the hardest hit as departures paused and some arrivals and ground movements were constrained, including 13 Heathrow-bound flights diverted; EasyJet and British Airways cancelled hundreds of departures. Nats says engineers are on site and working to resume normal operations, but backlogs are likely to persist for some time, so travelers should check with their airline for the latest status.