Edinburgh Airport has grounded all flights due to a major IT failure affecting air traffic control. Passengers face delays and cancellations as engineers scramble to fix the glitch. How long will this aviation chaos last?
Edinburgh Airport hit by major technical glitch
London: Flight operations at Edinburgh Airport came to a standstill on Friday after a serious technical malfunction affected the air traffic control (ATC) system, forcing authorities to suspend both arrivals and departures. The unexpected disruption has left thousands of passengers stranded and airlines scrambling to adjust schedules.
The airport confirmed that the suspension results from an internal IT failure linked to air traffic control systems responsible for monitoring aircraft movement.
With the system unable to operate safely, authorities decided to halt all flights as a precautionary measure. No aircraft are currently departing or landing, and several inbound flights have already been diverted to alternative airports.
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The aviation hub one of the UK’s busiest handles millions of travelers annually, making the outage particularly disruptive as it occurred during peak travel hours.
Technical teams are working on immediate diagnostics to trace the source of the malfunction. Officials have not yet shared details regarding the cause, nor have they provided a definite restoration timeline. However, airport authorities stated that resolving the issue and resuming normal operations remains their top priority.
The airport also emphasized that safety regulations require air traffic operations to cease until complete system reliability is restored, ruling out partial flight movement for the time being.
With no clear estimate of when services will resume, passengers have been urged to stay in direct communication with their airlines for updated flight information, rebooking options, or refund assistance. Queues formed in terminals as travelers sought clarity, while airline staff attempted to reorganize schedules and minimize inconvenience.
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Travelers have also been advised to avoid heading to the airport unless their airline confirms a revised departure time, as operations remain suspended across terminals.
The incident underscores how dependent global air travel has become on fast-evolving digital systems and how swiftly a technical failure can disrupt operations. While the airport has reassured the public that restoration efforts are ongoing, many passengers face extended delays, missed connections, and significant schedule changes.
Normal operations are expected to resume only after full system stability is confirmed.
