A number of flights have been cancelled or delayed from Irish airports following problems with air taffic control in Britain.
Dublin and Cork Airports both issued advisories urging travellers to check the status of their flight before they leave for the airport.
"Air Traffic Control issues in the UK today are resulting in delays and cancellations to some flights into and out of Dublin Airport," the DAA tweeted.
"We advise all passengers due to travel today to check the status of their flight with their airline in advance of travelling."
Update: Air Traffic Control issues in the UK today are resulting in delays and cancellations to some flights into and out of Dublin Airport. We advise all passengers due to travel today to check the status of their flight with their airline in advance of travelling. https://t.co/L73p4UoJ2K
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) August 28, 2023
Cork Airport advised, "Air Traffic Control issues in the UK today are resulting in delays to some flights into and out of Cork Airport. We advise all passengers due to travel today to check the status of their flight with their airline in advance of travelling."
Air Traffic Control issues in the UK today are resulting in delays to some flights into and out of @CorkAirport.
We advise all passengers due to travel today to check the status of their flight with their airline in advance of travelling. pic.twitter.com/spa4qvviCa— Cork Airport (@CorkAirport) August 28, 2023
One UK airline described it as a “network-wide failure” and, in a statement, Britain’s National Air Traffic Controllers said, "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 NATC did not say what had caused the problem or how long it would take to be fixed.
Ireland's aviation authority, Air Nav Ireland, was also unable to estimate how long the problem would take to be fixed.
"Flights between Ireland and UK airports, and flights travelling to or from Ireland that travel through UK airspace are experiencing significant delays," it said.
"At this time, there is no certainty as to when flights will be back on schedule so passengers who are due to travel today should contact their airlines in the first instance to check if their flights are delayed."
BBC presenter Gaby Logan, who had been hoping to travel from Budapest to Britain, was told the delay could be between as much as 12 hours.
On a plane on the runway at Budapest airport. After almost 3 weeks away from home I am hours from hugging my family. And have just been told UK airspace is shut. We could be here for 12 hours. So we sit on the plane and wait.
— Gabby Logan (@GabbyLogan) August 28, 2023
Speaking to Newstalk, Transport Minister of State Jack Chambers said the delays were necessary "to maintain safety" following the "major technical issue".
Main image: People queue inside Dublin Airport on May 31st 2022. Picture by: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo/Niall Carson
