Heathrow Airport in London experiences more flight cancellations due to air traffic failure
Heathrow Flight Cancellations Due to Radar Failure
On Thursday, July 30, 2025, London's Heathrow Airport faced over 150 flight cancellations due to a radar failure at the Swanwick air traffic control center, which manages the London airspace. This technical glitch grounded all departing flights to ensure safety.
The UK's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) described the issue as a "radar-related issue" and confirmed it was resolved by quickly switching to a backup system. However, traffic restrictions remained for safety reasons even after the restoration. NATS emphasized that there was no evidence of cyber-related causes.
The radar failure caused disruptions at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton airports, with delays continuing into August 1, 2025. Heathrow, Britain's largest and Europe's busiest airport, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest cancellations.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, as of 1830 GMT on Wednesday, there were 122 cancellations due to the outage. Heathrow's website showed that the cancelled flights on Thursday included departures to Brussels and Toronto and arrivals from New York and Berlin.
Ryanair and other airlines criticized the air traffic control service for the disruption, highlighting concerns over the reliability of UK aviation infrastructure due to recent recurring technical failures, including a power outage at Heathrow earlier in March 2025.
Ryanair's Chief Operating Officer, Neal McMahon, called for the resignation of NATS chief executive, Martin Rolfe, citing a lack of learning from a similar disruption in August 2023. In response, NATS acknowledged the problem publicly and assured it was an isolated incident resolved promptly. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with NATS's Chief Executive to seek explanations and measures to prevent future occurrences.
In summary:
| Cause | Response from NATS | Response from Ryanair & Airlines | |---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | Radar failure at Swanwick center causing halted departures and cancellations | Quickly switched to backup systems; confirmed issue was technical not cyber-related; ongoing safety restrictions after restoration; engaged with government officials for resolution plans | Criticized air traffic control for recurring failures; demanded answers and better reliability measures following multiple incidents in recent years |
This incident has caused significant inconvenience for thousands of passengers, and it remains to be seen what measures will be taken to improve the reliability of the UK's aviation infrastructure.
News of the radar failure at Swanwick air traffic control center, causing over 150 flight cancellations, also affected other airports like Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton. Artists and travelers alike are experiencing lifestyle disruptions due to these flight cancellations. World leaders, including those from Brussels, Toronto, New York, and Berlin, may face delayed meetings because of the radar issue. Meanwhile, the UK government, concerned about world connections and global travel, is seeking explanations and measures to prevent future occurrences to ensure the Eastern world can move freely without hurdles caused by technical failures.
