Flights in and out of Edinburgh Airport – Scotland’s busiest hub – slowly resumed on Friday afternoon after a two-hour suspension caused by an air-traffic-control (ATC) systems failure at provider Air Navigation Solutions (ANS). The outage, which began at 08:25 GMT, forced ground controllers to halt all departures and divert five inbound aircraft, including a Delta trans-Atlantic service that was rerouted to Dublin.
Although the disruption was localised to Edinburgh, ripple effects were felt across the UK network as aircraft and crews slipped out of position. EasyJet cancelled 11 rotations, British Airways and Ryanair warned of residual delays throughout the weekend, and rail operators reported a surge in last-minute bookings between Scotland and England. ANS confirmed the incident was not linked to the separate global Cloudflare glitch that affected multiple industries on the same morning.
![Edinburgh Airport resumes operations after air-traffic IT failure causes nationwide knock-on delays]()
Edinburgh Airport handled 15.7 million passengers last year and is a key gateway for corporate travel to the capital’s booming fintech and renewable-energy sectors. Business travellers told local media that the sudden halt underscored the fragility of the UK’s ATC infrastructure, which also suffered a nationwide software failure in August 2023.
A preliminary review by the Civil Aviation Authority has been launched. Airlines have within seven days to submit compensation data under EU261-style rules preserved in UK law post-Brexit. Employers should remind travelling staff to keep evidence of delay-related expenses and to monitor airline apps for automatic rebooking options.
The episode is another reminder for mobility managers to build slack into tight itineraries and to stress-test contingency plans, particularly during winter when technical glitches often compound with adverse weather.
Although the disruption was localised to Edinburgh, ripple effects were felt across the UK network as aircraft and crews slipped out of position. EasyJet cancelled 11 rotations, British Airways and Ryanair warned of residual delays throughout the weekend, and rail operators reported a surge in last-minute bookings between Scotland and England. ANS confirmed the incident was not linked to the separate global Cloudflare glitch that affected multiple industries on the same morning.
Edinburgh Airport handled 15.7 million passengers last year and is a key gateway for corporate travel to the capital’s booming fintech and renewable-energy sectors. Business travellers told local media that the sudden halt underscored the fragility of the UK’s ATC infrastructure, which also suffered a nationwide software failure in August 2023.
A preliminary review by the Civil Aviation Authority has been launched. Airlines have within seven days to submit compensation data under EU261-style rules preserved in UK law post-Brexit. Employers should remind travelling staff to keep evidence of delay-related expenses and to monitor airline apps for automatic rebooking options.
The episode is another reminder for mobility managers to build slack into tight itineraries and to stress-test contingency plans, particularly during winter when technical glitches often compound with adverse weather.
