Flights in and out of Derry cancelled amid air traffic control disruption

Loganair's departures from City of Derry Airport to London Heathrow at 2pm and 6.15pm have been cancelled this Bank Holiday Monday.

The carrier's arrivals from London to Derry at 5.45pm and 9.50pm have also been cancelled amid widespread disruption at airports across the North and in Britain.

NATS Holdings, formerly National Air Traffic Services (NATS), said it has identified and remedied the technical issue affecting the flight planning system.

NATS stated: "We are now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible.

"Our engineers will be carefully monitoring the system’s performance as we return to normal operations.

"The flight planning issue affected the system’s ability to automatically process flight plans, meaning that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, hence the requirement for traffic flow restrictions.

"Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. Please contact your airline for information on how this may affect your flight."

Loganair stated: "Due to a network-wide outage of Air Traffic Control systems, delays and disruption are expected throughout the day for all airlines. Under these circumstances, Loganair is offering passengers travelling today the opportunity to rebook within the next 48 hours, free of charge, where there is a seat available.

"Please note that unless your flight is cancelled, no refund will be offered for any operating service."

83% increase in Derry-London air passenger numbers with Loganair Heathrow service due to take off