Numerous Flights Cancelled Saturday

Britain's Air Traffic Control system suffered what was described as a "technical problem" Saturday resulting in widespread cancellations of flights throughout the U.K.

The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) issued a statement indicating that the problem was centered at Swanwick. "We are currently experiencing some difficulty switching from night time to daytime operation. This may result in some delays for which we apologize. Engineers are working to rectify the problem as soon as possible."

The U.K. newspaper The Guardian reports that a fifth of all flights at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports were canceled, and that lengthy delays of other flights were reported. By Saturday evening, NATS said that the problem had been corrected, and that the issue had not affected passenger safety.

A NATS spokesman said that the problem had been a "major challenge" for engineers and the manufacturer of the equipment, "who has worked closely with us to ensure this complex problem was resolved as quickly as possible while maintaining a safe service."

FMI: www.nats.aero