EasyJet cancels more than 20 flights as Prestwick air traffic failure cuts Scotland capacity by 60%

More than 20 easyJet flights have been canceled as a technical failure at the NATS air traffic control centre in Prestwick, Scotland, severely reduces flight capacity across Scotland and parts of the North Atlantic.

The disruption has now escalated beyond delays, with at least 24 flights canceled across affected UK airports and dozens more facing delays on Monday.

Scottish airspace capacity cut by 60%

Eurocontrol data indicates that capacity through Scottish-controlled airspace has been reduced by approximately 60% while engineers work to resolve the Prestwick technical failure.

Capacity affecting some transatlantic departures has also been reduced by around 40%, increasing the potential for delays on routes between Britain, Europe and North America.

EasyJet, British Airways and KLM affected

EasyJet has canceled more than 20 flights as a result of the disruption, while services operated by British Airways and KLM are also among those affected.

Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are experiencing significant disruption, while flights involving Northern Ireland and northern England have also been impacted.

Some flight processing has had to be handled manually while the technical problem continues.

Airports south of Manchester largely unaffected

NATS said airports south of Manchester remain broadly unaffected, but flights heading north and aircraft departing Scottish airports continue to face restrictions.

Engineers remain at the Prestwick centre investigating the failure.

NATS has stressed that Monday’s incident is unrelated to the major UK air traffic control outage earlier this month.

Passengers with flights through Scotland or northern Britain are being advised to check directly with their airline before travelling to the airport as delays and cancellations continue.