British transport minister dismisses cyberattack, says ‘UK air travel disruption to last for days’ | Mint - Mint

British transport minister Mark Harper has said that would take days to resolve the widespread disruption to flights into and out of the country after air traffic control systems were hit by a technical problem. As the specter of a hacking attempt was raised across social media, however, Harper added that the government officials did not believe the technical problem was the result of a cyberattack.

"Something on this scale hasn't happened for almost a decade – normally the system works very well," Harper told ‘Sky News’.

“Our technical experts have looked at it and are clear that it wasn’t a cybersecurity incident," he said.

Thousands of air travellers faced delays on Monday after Britain's air traffic control system was hit by a breakdown. About 1,500 flights were cancelled on Monday which is one of the country's busiest travel days after air traffic controllers were forced to switch to manual systems.

"There is going to be some knock on impact today and I suspect for another few days as airlines get their planes and get their services back to normal," Harper told the BBC on Tuesday as reported by Reuters.

As per the current update from Heathrow Airport, it has asked commuters to contact their airline before travelling to the airport on Tuesday. In a post on on X (formerly Twitter), “Due to yesterday’s technical issues suffered by UK Air Traffic Control, there may be some continuing disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations. It is important for all passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport and for those passengers who need to rebook to contact their airline directly rather than travelling to Heathrow."

British Airways said in a statement on X, “We're working as hard as possible to get affected customers on their way again."

London Gatwick said that it plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday 29 August following disruption today (28 August). Passengers are however advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to the airport.

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