Flights at Edinburgh Airport were brought to a standstill for over an hour on Friday morning (5 December) after an IT failure at private air-traffic-control provider Air Navigation Solutions made it impossible for controllers to manage departures and arrivals safely. The outage, which began around 08:45 GMT, forced a ground stop, diversions to Glasgow, Newcastle and Dublin, and the cancellation of multiple domestic and European services.
Operations resumed at about 10:40 but airport management warned that knock-on delays would persist throughout the day as airlines reposition aircraft and crews. Low-cost carriers easyJet and Ryanair, along with British Airways shuttle services to London, were among those hardest hit; a Delta transatlantic flight diverted to Dublin. December is one of Edinburgh’s busiest months, handling more than 1.3 million passengers in 2024, so even a short closure triggered long queues at check-in and security.
![IT failure shuts Edinburgh Airport, disrupting UK and EU business travel]()
The incident follows a series of ATC-related technology failures in the UK over the past two years, including the NATS network meltdown of August 2023 and a radar outage over London in July 2025. Aviation unions say chronic under-investment in ageing systems is now a systemic risk to the reliability of UK air travel.
Corporate travel managers should alert travellers to expect residual delays on Friday evening rotations and early Saturday departures. Those with tight connections are advised to re-book or route via Glasgow. The episode is a reminder to build buffer time into itineraries during the winter peak and to keep traveller tracking systems up to date.
Operations resumed at about 10:40 but airport management warned that knock-on delays would persist throughout the day as airlines reposition aircraft and crews. Low-cost carriers easyJet and Ryanair, along with British Airways shuttle services to London, were among those hardest hit; a Delta transatlantic flight diverted to Dublin. December is one of Edinburgh’s busiest months, handling more than 1.3 million passengers in 2024, so even a short closure triggered long queues at check-in and security.
The incident follows a series of ATC-related technology failures in the UK over the past two years, including the NATS network meltdown of August 2023 and a radar outage over London in July 2025. Aviation unions say chronic under-investment in ageing systems is now a systemic risk to the reliability of UK air travel.
Corporate travel managers should alert travellers to expect residual delays on Friday evening rotations and early Saturday departures. Those with tight connections are advised to re-book or route via Glasgow. The episode is a reminder to build buffer time into itineraries during the winter peak and to keep traveller tracking systems up to date.
