All flights to and from Edinburgh Airport grounded after ‘IT problem’ at Air Traffic Control
All flights to and from Edinburgh Airport were grounded for around four hours following an IT issue affecting air traffic control.
The issue appeared the start at around 3pm with flights from Gatwick, Dublin, Luton, Bratislava, London, Southampton and Amsterdam affected.
Departing flights to Sumburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Amsterdam and Heathrow have been also affected.
Airport bosses issued an update at around 6.55pm saying that the issue has been ‘resolved and fights have now resumed’.
Pictures showed passengers queuing inside the terminal after finding out that all flights at the airport have been grounded.
At least 30 flights have been cancelled with many others being delayed. Diversions to other airports are also in place.
More than 150 flights were scheduled to depart from and arrive at the airport this evening.
It left many travellers frustrated with passengers taking to social media after being stranded in different airports.
Pictures show passengers queuing inside the terminal after finding out that all flights at the airport have been grounded
All flights to and from Edinburgh Airport have been grounded following an IT issue affecting air traffic control
Posting on X (formerly Twitter ), a spokesperson for the airport said engineers are working on resolving the issue
One user said: ‘Is there an eta for when the system will be fixed? Does the airport have any advice for thousands of people in limbo waiting for flights that haven’t been cancelled but haven’t been rescheduled either?’
Another added: ‘Useless. Trapped in a Paris airport cos my plane is on the tarmac in Edinburgh.’
A third wrote: ‘Well according to our pilot (we’ve been diverted to land in Glasgow) the airport is closed until tomorrow morning 6am.’
One passenger due to fly at 3pm from Geneva to Edinburgh told STV News: ‘Once we were all onboard and doors shut, the pilot announced there was an issue.
‘They have kept us updated back and forth. We have been stuck on the tarmac for three and a half hours.
‘Some passengers have young babies who are quite rightly getting upset.’
An initial statement from the airport read: ‘Due to to an IT issue with Air Traffic Control no flights are currently taking off or landing. Engineers are working to resolve the issue.
‘Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.’
An update added: ‘Engineers are continuing to work on the IT issue currently affecting Air Traffic Control.
‘Passengers should continue to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport.’
Confirming the issue had been fixed, a statement said: ‘The IT issue affecting Air Traffic Control has now been resolved and flights have now resumed.
‘Passengers should continue to check their flight status with their airline before travelling to the airport. We would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding.’
A statement from Air Navigation Solutions said: “A technical issue affected one of our systems at Edinburgh Airport earlier this afternoon.
‘Our engineers have restored the system to operation, and flight operations at the Airport re-commenced at 6.25pm.
‘We regret the inconvenience that has been caused.’
The disruption comes before the planned strikes that are expected to start from Wednesday.
North Air fuel tanker drivers will walk out for three weeks over the Christmas period over pay dispute.
The strike led by unite will begin at 5am on December 18, lasting until January 6.
MailOnline has approached Edinburgh Airport for an update.
