The glitch led to over 1,000 cancelled flights. British Airways said it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights. Ryanair said it cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights and that over 65,000 of its passengers were disrupted.

Passengers endured long waits. Josie Donoghue spent three hours on a Ryanair plane at Gatwick before her flight was cancelled. A British Airways flight to Baltimore stayed on the ground at Heathrow for four hours before passengers could leave.

Communication was limited and baggage‑claim became chaotic. Travelers were told to file claims for lost bags.

Heathrow restarted departures but stopped all arrivals for the rest of the night. Other airports that saw problems included Stansted, City, Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick and several airports in Scotland.

The disruption shows how a technical failure in air‑traffic control can quickly affect many travelers, causing missed connections, long delays and stress.