Heathrow and Gatwick – live: More than 300 flights cancelled today after air traffic control glitch, tell me about this news in (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/heathrow-gatwick-air-traffic-control-37639982)

Based on the report from The Mirror, here is a breakdown of the news regarding the disruption at Heathrow, Gatwick, and other UK airports:The CauseThe disruption followed a major technical failure at National Air Traffic Services (NATS), specifically traced to an issue at their Swanwick control center. While NATS and officials quickly ruled out a cyber-attack, the system failure crippled air traffic control operations and triggered extensive knock-on effects across the aviation network.Scale of the Cancellations and Disruption

• Over 300 Flights Cancelled: Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that around 350 flights (both arrivals and departures) were cancelled the following day due to aircraft and crews being out of position, adding to more than 1,300 flights cancelled during the initial outage.
• Widespread Impact: More than 300,000 passengers were affected across at least 15 UK airports, with Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Luton, and Edinburgh among the hardest hit.
• Airline Repercussions: British Airways was forced to cancel over 190 flights alone. Budget carriers like Ryanair also cancelled hundreds of flights, warning that operational losses would run into millions of pounds.

Government and Regulatory Response

• Transport Secretary’s Statement: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated she did not believe the outage was unavoidable. She commissioned an independent review by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to investigate the incident and deliver a report within six months.
• Leadership Scrutiny: Airlines, including Ryanair, sharply criticized NATS leadership and pointed to repeated IT vulnerabilities, while Downing Street confirmed support for the investigation into the root causes.

Impact on PassengersThousands of travelers experienced prolonged delays and stranded conditions abroad or at UK hubs. Many passengers faced sleeping on terminal floors, long queues for baggage claim and rebooking, and replacement flights scheduled days later. Under UK passenger rights regulations, affected travelers were advised of their entitlements to food, drink, accommodation, and communication support depending on delay length and flight distances.