A technical glitch has led to hundreds of flights being canceled and escalating travel chaos in the United Kingdom (U.K.).
The current disruption could take days to fix, say transportation authorities in England who are calling for calm during the tail end of the busy summer travel season.
Hundreds of flights have been delayed and canceled after a system-wide failure at the U.K.’s air traffic control service has left operators unable to process flight plans.
More than a quarter (27%) of all flights travelling to and from U.K. airports were canceled on August 28. In all, 790 departures and 785 arrivals were canceled.
Britain’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has said that it has resolved the problem but warned that it would take several days for normal flight schedules to resume.
London’s busiest airport, Heathrow, has experienced the greatest disruption, followed by London’s Gatwick terminal and Manchester Airport.
The disruption comes during the U.K.’s busiest travel season when tens of thousands of tourists are trying to return home from summer vacations.
