UK air controllers say flight data sparked glitch that snarled hundreds of flights

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Authorities say a technical failure that saw hundreds of flights delayed and canceled across the U.K. was caused by problems in some flight data received by Britain’s national air traffic controllers and was not a cyberattack. The breakdown hit on a late-summer holiday Monday that’s one of the busiest days of the year for air travel. Thousands of travellers were stranded at airports. The National Air Traffic Services said initial investigations showed that the problem sprang from some flight data it received. It said its systems responded by suspending automatic processing to ensure that no incorrect safety-related information would impact the rest of the air traffic system. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said it will take days to resolve the knock-on effects.