Mumbai: Heathrow flight disruption strands Indian travellers, Eknath Shinde delegation hit

Screengrabs show chaos at Heathrow Terminal 4 after the airport suspended all flights. Pics/X/@are_eb

Indians travelling to the United Kingdom were left stranded at airports for hours on Wednesday after a technical outage hit the UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS), disrupting more than 500 flights on Tuesday and about 258 at London's Heathrow Airport on Wednesday. Several other airports were also affected.

Social outrage As operations slowed, several Indians travelling to London took to social media to express frustration over being stuck at airports for hours. Missed events Six members of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's official delegation were also on the same flight and were stuck in Zurich. As a result, they missed two ceremonies they were scheduled to attend with Shinde.

Baggage left at airport amid flight disruptions. Pic/X/@tecas2000 (right) Passengers sleeping on terminal floors after flight disruptions left numerous families stranded

Heathrow update

The official X account of London Heathrow Airport on Wednesday posted, "Following yesterday's NATS technical issue, flights are operating today, but some disruptions may continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew." The airport advised passengers to check their flight status before travelling. It apologised to affected passengers and said additional staff had been deployed across terminals to assist travellers.

What happened?

>> Technical issues disrupted the UK's NATS
>> The disruption affected thousands of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday
>> NATS said the issues had been resolved by September 9
>> Operations across the UK were gradually returning to normal
>> Affected flights were resuming journeys to their destinations

Passenger Speaks

Madhu Kumar, (name changed) who was travelling to London on an Air India flight
‘We have been at Zurich airport since 11 pm IST until 5.45 pm on September 9, nearly 17 hours. We had gotten a message just a while ago that our flight would leave from Zurich for London at 5.45 pm on September 9. Airline staff provided snacks, water, and bedrolls for the night. They also gave us breakfast and coupons for lunch.'