Gatwick flight delays were reported on Monday 21 September after a fresh technical problem affected the UK’s air traffic control network.
The fault occurred at National Air Traffic Services’ control centre in Prestwick, rather than at Gatwick Airport itself. It restricted traffic across parts of UK airspace before being resolved during the morning, although airlines warned that delays could continue while schedules recovered.
Reuters reported disruption at several airports and said Gatwick and London City were among those affected. The scale of the impact varies by airline and route, so passengers should check their individual flight rather than assume all Gatwick services are delayed.
What passengers should do about Gatwick flight delays
- Check the airline’s app, email alerts or website before leaving home.
- Use Gatwick Airport’s live arrivals and departures page for the latest airport information.
- Unless the airline says otherwise, travel to the airport for the original check-in time.
- Allow extra time if arranging a train, taxi or airport pickup, as arrival times may change during the day.
A separate air traffic control incident
NATS said the latest fault was unrelated to the earlier nationwide disruption this month. That distinction matters: this was a new problem at the Prestwick centre, not a continuation of the previous software defect.
Brighton Locals previously covered the earlier air traffic control outage affecting Gatwick. According to The Guardian’s latest report, the new fault was fixed by about 10.30am, but knock-on disruption was expected as airlines repositioned aircraft and crews.
Featured image: Gatwick Airport South Terminal. Photo by Holiday Extras on Unsplash.
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