Gatwick Airport faced significant disruptions this Saturday following a system outage that impacted the local National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The issue, which began around 08:00 GMT, resulted in numerous flights being grounded and left passengers facing prolonged delays.

Travellers flying to and from the West Sussex airport reported that planes were stuck on the tarmac for hours as the airport grappled with the outage. A spokesperson for London Gatwick confirmed the incident, stating, “There was an outage to a local NATS system earlier this morning which has now been rectified. Some passengers may experience delays. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

Despite the immediate impact of the outage, Gatwick officials assured that there were no flight cancellations. However, the ripple effect of the disruption was felt throughout the day, with passengers taking to social media to express their frustrations over the unexpected delays.

In a later statement on social media, Gatwick reiterated, “There was an outage to a local NATS system earlier this morning which has now been rectified. No cancellations have resulted from this, but some passengers may experience delays. We apologise for any inconvenience.”