Heathrow and Gatwick delays LIVE: Dozens more London flights cancelled today but schedules are recovering

Technical issues with air traffic control systems have caused more than 2,000 flights arriving or departing the UK to be cancelled since Tuesday.

As of 4pm, 55 flights at Heathrow were cancelled - 34 arrivals and 21 departures, according to flight tracker Flightradar24. Its showed 12 flights at Gatwick as cancelled.

Follow the latest updates below...

At a glance

Live updates

More reaction to Heathrow 'operating as normal'

More passengers have reacted angrily to Heathrow Airport’s post on X which claimed that the site was “operating as normal today”.

One person wrote: “No - we were in Heathrow for the entire nightmare. Sat on a plane for 4 hours. Stayed in the airport on the floor for 28 hours. No extra staff helping people. No airlines advising people what to do. No food or water available. It was a complete failure.”

Another said: “So waiting for coaches for 45 minutes and now waiting for cases over 75 minutes after landing is normal service? You really set yourself a high level to achieve if this is normal.”

Passengers wait at Heathrow Airport earlier this week

NurPhoto via Getty Images

'An embarrassment for Britain'

Speaking in the Commons, shadow transport minister Greg Smith said that disruption at Heathrow Airport is an “embarrassment for Britain” and an “absolute mess”,

Transport minister Keir Mather said in response that disruption to those travelling “raises really serious questions about contingency planning and resilience planning at our airports”.

National Rail offers advice for those affected by ATC cancellations

National Rail is offering flexibility to ticket holders who have been affected by airline disruption due to the recent air traffic outage.

Passengers affected by a flight cancellation or amendment and have a train ticket dated Tuesday September 8 or Wednesday 9 September can use their original train ticket on the new date for which their flight has been rebooked.

Customers have been told they can also use their existing ticket to return home on the same day in the event of a flight cancellation if they have already commenced your journey.

Customers must show their airline ticket when using their ticket at an alternative time or on an alternative date.

A fee-free refund within 28 days of date of travel has also been offered if passengers no longer travel, for abandoned journeys or for your original rail ticket if you had to purchase a new one because of a flight diversion.

Heathrow Airport gets angry response as it says it is 'operating as normal'

Heathrow Airport said it is “operating as normal today” in a post on X, sparking an angry response from those who have been affected by the flight meltdown in recent days.

In the post on X the airport said airport systems are functioning as expected.

But it warned while the vast majority of flights are operating as scheduled, there may still be some changes to airline timetables.

“We know the knock-on effects of Tuesday’s disruption have been frustrating, and we thank those affected for their patience,” the post added.

“Passengers should check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling to Heathrow.”

The post was quickly met with angry reponses. One person wrote: “This is not true. Arrived T5 at midnight last night and had to wait nearly 1 hour on the plane for buses to take us from stand to terminal. Carnage in baggage hall with crowds eventually informed (via email from their airline) to leave without their cases & hope for delivery.”

Another wrote: “ Supporting recovery??? We landed at midnight last night. Had to wait 25 mins for a gate, 35 mins for a jetty because there was no one available to move it. Then our bags were not unloaded as the handlers went home earlier. You need a contingency plan for after hours situations.”

Airports continue to recover

A London Stansted spokeswoman said the airport was back to normal, with flights due to arrive and depart as scheduled on Thursday.

Gatwick has also said that operations at its airport have “returned to normal” following Tuesday’s air traffic control incident.

Outside the capital, a spokesperson for Manchester Airport advised passengers on Thursday morning to prepare to travel as normal.

BA expects 'normal schedule' later today

British Airways has said it expects to “operate a normal schedule” on Thursday following disruption caused by an air traffic control issue.

This morning, the company said: “Our teams have been working hard following Tuesday’s air traffic control outage and we expect to operate a normal schedule on Thursday.

“We know this issue has been very challenging for our customers, and we thank them for their patience while we’ve worked to get them to where they need to be.”

Customers who were scheduled to fly today but no longer wish to travel can move their flight for free up until Sunday September 13, the airline said.

Bride stranded en route to her own wedding amid airline travel chaos

A bride-to-be is one of the passengers who has found themselves stranded amid the flight disruption this week.

You can follow her story here:

Ryanair boss reiterates call for Rolfe to step down

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has repeated his calls for the chief executive of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) to step down before the airline’s annual general meeting.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin on Thursday morning, Mr O’Leary said of NATS’ Martin Rolfe: “He keeps hiding behind safety.

“You know, you can’t run a safe airspace by grounding every aircraft. You know, it’s nonsense, so we think he should go.”

He added: “But then, it’s 49% owned by the UK Government, and they’re clearly trying to protect him.

“It is beyond my comprehension how the guy who has visited three collapses on UK ATC (air traffic control) is asked to do the investigation into his own screw-ups. So we think he should be sacked and somebody competent brought in to do the job.”

BA calls for 'improved resilience in aviation'

Following this week’s disruption, British Airways (BA) has said it has “long made the case for improved resilience in aviation” and issues raised by the system failure need “to be addressed as a matter of urgency”.

A BA spokesperson said: “We’ve heard reassurances before, but then we’re faced with issues like this yet again.

“Our customers and colleagues are tired of dealing with these issues, time after time. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”