Wick flights unaffected by UK air traffic control issues but passengers at Inverness 'experiencing delays'

WICK airport has been unaffected by the problems with the national UK air traffic control system, which has caused widespread disruption in other parts of the country.

So said a spokesman for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) but he pointed out that a number of flights at Inverness were "experiencing delays" on Monday.

He said a flight to Amsterdam was cancelled on Tuesday while five others to Luton, Bristol, Belfast, Gatwick and Heathrow were delayed.

The spokesman said: "The airport team is working closely with our airline partners to manage the delays. Passengers should continue to check with their airline for information regarding their flight."

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at airports all over the UK following the air traffic control issue. It is expected the disruption will continue for several days as airlines deal with backlogs and aircraft and crew out of position.

People are being advised to check before they travel.

Meanwhile, the UK Government has said the problems with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) was not caused by a cyber attack as had been feared.

Nats said it was a "flight planning issue" which had affected the system's ability to automatically process flight plans.

That meant flights could not be processed at the same volume, resulting in the need for "traffic flow restrictions" on safety grounds.

It is understood the incident will be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.

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