Overview

• A technical failure at the Swanwick control centre on July 30 forced limits on aircraft in London’s airspace and halted departures at Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh Ground holds and capacity restrictions caused widespread delays as planes were kept on the tarmac or held in holding patterns over London
• Technicians restored the malfunctioning system in the afternoon and started a gradual return to standard traffic volumes
• Airlines and London Heathrow have urged passengers to verify their flight status as residual delays continue across major British airports
• The precise component that failed remains unidentified, highlighting persistent transparency and resilience concerns in UK air traffic management