Gatwick Airport: delays after flight suspension

Flights to Gatwick Airport have been suspended for about two hours due to a problem related to air traffic control systems.

Twenty-eight flights were canceled and 26 were redirected to other airports after the start of the problems around 5:00 pm BST.

The airport said it encountered a problem in its control tower.

Flights are always delayed by an hour or more, with cancellations scheduled all night, Gatwick said.

The effects were felt at European airports, many flights to Gatwick were canceled and others should be delayed about three hours.

Pbadengers traveling to and from the airport were asked to check for updates with their airline.

EasyJet said Gatwick was operating at a "reduced rate" and apologized for the disruption, which she said was "out of our control".

A spokesman said the airport aimed to restore the full schedule Thursday without delay, adding, "The ambition is that it should work as usual".

Colin Franks, who was scheduled to board an EasyJet flight to Palma, Spain, said he was "trapped between the boarding gate and the airlift".

He stated that the pilot of the aircraft had spoken to pbadengers, adding: "He stated that they had received a provisional notice [take off] 22 hours time.

"At the moment, everyone is talking to each other and it is very happy.There are many children here.

In December, flights were suspended for 30 hours after drone observations, causing chaos for 140,000 pbadengers.

A senior Susbad police officer stated that the airport was not prepared for an attack by more than one drone.