Flights across many of the UK’s biggest airports have been brought to a standstill after an air traffic control technical failure, with close to 300 services cancelled.

Thousands of passengers, including travellers at Heathrow and Gatwick, are facing lengthy waits as airlines work through the disruption, which is expected to continue until at least 9pm tonight.

More than 10 airports around the country have reported problems, with Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham among those worst hit by the delays and cancellations.

Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, Bristol, London Stansted and London City airports have also confirmed they are affected by the nationwide air traffic control issue.

In an update this afternoon, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said it had traced the fault to its “flight processing system” and had “implemented a fix”, while warning that “recovery will take some time”.

The organisation, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, gave no details as to the cause of the problem. 

But a spokesperson told the Daily Mail there is currently no indication the issue is due to a hack or other cyber incident. 

The air tracker found 352 flights to and from Heathrow were delayed out of its daily average of about 1,300.

Meanwhile 281 Gatwick flights were delayed out of its 850 daily average. This was 249 out of 650 for Manchester, and 101 out of 300 for Birmingham.

Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers have been affected and called for ‘overpaid failure’ NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to be replaced.

COO Neal McMahon said: ‘The UK Government, the CAA and the NATS Board must stop making excuses for repeated NATS failures and appoint a new leader capable of running the UK ATC system without repeated failures. Its time for overpaid failure Martin Rolfe to go.’ 

According to site FlightRadar24, the cancellations include at least 96 British Airways flights, 92 easyJet and 20 KLM.

Passengers in the UK are being urged to check in as usual but check with their individual airlines for updates. 

Some inbound flights from continental Europe are being held on the ground and disruption has also been reported in Ireland. 

One passenger who is travelling from Dublin to Malta told the Daily Mail their flight had been affected by an ‘issue in London’. 

They said: ‘Our Aer Lingus flight to Malta was due to depart at 2.20pm and we’ve had zero information from the Aer Lingus. 

‘They just keep saying an update will be provided in 15 mins – there’s an issue in London but no information regarding departure time or how long we will be delayed.’ 

Others have shared their experiences of being stuck at airports on social media. 

One person posted on X: ‘We are currently sat on Alicante tarmac going to Manchester and this is affecting us. Not just London!’ 

‘Luton airport too! We’re stranded on the actual plane,’ another added.  

Passengers are being advised to travel to the airport for their scheduled time and to check in with their airline. 

Today’s disruption comes after NATS, which is 49 per cent government-owned, suffered another major outage in August 2023 that affected more than 700,000 passengers.

More than 150 flights across Britain were also cancelled last year after a malfunction left air traffic controllers at the control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, with only a patchy view of the airspace.

Speaking of the ongoing issue, a spokesman for NATS said: ‘We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system. 

‘Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. 

‘We recognise the ongoing disruption to travel, for which we sincerely apologise.’ 

They later added: ‘We have implemented a fix and our flight system is starting to recover. 

‘We are continuing to work closely with our airline and airport customers on recovery. We apologise sincerely for the disruption to people’s journeys today and they should continue to check with their airline.’

In a post on X, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the issue impacting flights and that engineers were ‘fixing it as we speak’.

She said: ‘I’m aware of a technical issue impacting flights at airports including Heathrow and Gatwick. Technicians have identified the issue and are fixing it as we speak.

‘I know this will be frustrating for passengers and I’m sorry. Please check with your airline for latest advice.’

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport added: ‘The air traffic control service is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting departing flights at UK airports. Arriving flights are not currently impacted. 

‘We are supporting our local NATS team in their efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We will provide updated information when we have it. 

‘We apologise to those disrupted and advise passengers to check with their airline for latest flight information.’

Jersey Airport said it was also affected by a technical issue with air traffic control.

In a statement the Channel Islands airport said: ‘UK air traffic control is currently experiencing issues which is impacting flights across the UK including services between Jersey and UK.

‘Passengers are advised to check the latest flight information directly with their airline.’

A spokesman for Gatwick added: ‘We are aware of a NATS technical issue that is currently affecting a number of UK airports, including London Gatwick.

‘Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.’

Airlines have also warned passengers of delays, but stressed the situation is not under their control.

EasyJet said some of its flights are ‘unable to operate’ following the technical issue. 

It is the latest issue to affect passengers flying out of the UK, with flights at Gatwick brought to a standstill last week after a plane became stuck on the runway. 

The plane was surrounded by several fire engines and the runway was closed for around 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, in July passengers at Gatwick were left without running water due to an issue with the supply. 

Flyers were unable to flush toilets, wash their hands or refill water bottles for hours during the outage. 

Heathrow has also been affected by two grass fires this summer, which have caused delays to flights. 

One flight from San Francisco was diverted away from Heathrow towards Manchester and another from San Diego landed in Birmingham due to a blaze on September 5.

In early August, flights were disrupted after a grass fire ignited near Heathrow’s southern runway.

One hectare of grassland was destroyed by the fire as 18 inbound flights were diverted to other airports.

Are YOU affected? Email: elizabeth.haigh@dailymail.co.uk 

Egyptian television personality Sarah Khalifa, once known for her polished public image and high-profile media career, is now awaiting her fate inside a prison widely associated with human rights abuses after being sentenced to death by hanging.

Khalifa, 39, was among 12 defendants convicted by a Cairo court on Saturday in a major narcotics case involving the manufacture and trafficking of drugs.

The presenter rose to fame through her television programme ‘Mission Impossible’, a show focused on security matters and crime-related issues.

Before her arrest in April last year, Khalifa had built a following of 2.6million on Instagram, where she shared images from trips across Europe and promoted her cosmetic surgery clinic.

Her case is now in legal limbo, with her lawyer seeking to challenge the verdict through an appeal.

In the meantime, Khalifa, who denies the charges against her, is being kept in the notorious Badr Prison Complex, about 40 miles northeast of Cairo.

Since opening in 2021, the complex has repeatedly been accused of ‘egregious and collective violations of human rights’ by international organisations.

Within the prison, inmates are allegedly subjected to sexual harassment, electric shocks, and a range of torture techniques, including being chained to the walls for days without food or water.

Khalifa and 11 others were sentenced to death by hanging on charges of manufacturing, promoting and trading synthetic drugs, as well as possessing and carrying firearms and ammunition without a licence.

The state-linked al-Ahram newspaper said the trial was based on 20 witness statements and photographic evidence of Khalifa’s alleged criminal activities.

The defendants are accused of using two apartments as laboratories to ‘store and manufacture the drugs’.

According to the public prosecution, ‘investigators seized more than 750 kilograms of synthetic narcotics and raw materials used in their production’.

The verdict is not final at this stage and Khalifa’s legal counsel, Dr Mohamed El-Gindi, is appealing the verdict.

He told the Daily Mail that there are ‘serious legal and procedural issues concerning the proceedings and the evidence relied upon in reaching the judgment’.

In the meantime, he confirmed his client is being detained in the Badr Prison Complex, where he is concerned about her ‘physical and psychological wellbeing’. 

In 2023, 38 global human rights organisations came together to condemn the complex, which is composed of four main facilities: Badr 1, Badr 2, Badr 3, and a specialised centre for women.

They cited recent reports of numerous suicide attempts and hunger strikes among detainees due to the ‘nature and scale of abuses taking place’.

The charities alleged that torture was commonplace, from guards maintaining bright lights in cells for 24 hours, to chaining prisoners to walls without food and water for days at a time. 

Inmates have reported receiving electric shocks if they make requests for improved conditions. 

In October 2022, Omar Mohamed Ali, a prisoner, was subjected to sexual harassment by prison security personnel after being transferred to Badr prison, the charities said.

Visitation rights are reportedly granted arbitrarily and enforcing them is effectively up to the discretion of security guards. 

In some cases, prisoners have allegedly been denied visitations for years on end, and prison authorities refuse to transfer medications and personal belongings sent by family members to inmates. 

The charities claimed that inmates face court hearings online from within the prison, where they are not granted physical access to the court and free access to their lawyers.

The Badr Prison Complex was opened shortly after the authorities launched Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy in September 2021, which hailed the authorities’ purported efforts at modernising jails and upholding inmates’ dignity. 

In mid-2022, the government started relocating prisoners from the ill-reputed Tora Prison Complex into the new facilities, but reports of mistreatment swiftly followed.

After less than a year of opening, at least four deaths were reported, and in at least three of those cases, authorities failed to respond to calls for medical assistance, the charities alleged.

‘Prisoners are held in horrific and punitive conditions comparable to or even worse than those consistently documented at Egypt’s notorious Tora Prison Complex,’ claimed Amnesty International in October 2022.

‘Detainees shiver in cold cells with fluorescent lights switched on round the clock; CCTV cameras are trained on them at all hours; and access to basic necessities such as sufficient food, clothing and books is banned.’

One detainee in Badr 3 said he was kept under constant surveillance, including during visits to the bathroom where guards taunted him for taking too long.

Prison staff also bar prisoners from sending letters to their families or loved ones, or even receiving them, effectively subjecting them to ‘incommunicado detention’, the NGO claimed.

It added that prison officials prevent relatives from delivering food, clothing and items for personal hygiene. 

One relative of a Badr 3 detainee told the organisation that she tried to deliver clothes, books and food to the facility, but was told by guards that such items were not permitted. 

When she told prison officials that prisoners have a right to receive them, they said ‘prisoners here have no rights’.

The digital hearing system, where detainees are not physically present in the same courtroom as judges, lawyers and prosecutors, has also raised alarms.

‘Such hearings violate fair trial rights including the rights to adequate defence and to meaningfully challenge the legality of their detention,’ said Amnesty International.

‘They take place under coercive circumstances in the presence of prison guards and detainees are prevented from communicating with their lawyers, given the ban on lawyer visits to prison. 

‘Further, they expose detainees to risks of reprisals from guards for complaining about torture or other ill-treatment and impede the ability of judges to spot visible bruises or other injuries.’

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In August 2024, 10 human rights charities penned an open letter condemning the ‘recent and rapid deterioration of conditions’ inside the prison.

‘We are alarmed by recent reports of suicide attempts and a mass hunger strike in response to widespread power cuts in Badr 1 prison, which have subjected prisoners to dangerous and life-threatening conditions,’ it said.

‘We are also alarmed by the reports of an ongoing hunger strike in Badr 3 prison due to collective violations of detainees’ rights.’

On May 25, 2024, authorities allegedly cut off electricity at Badr 1 amid an extreme heat wave for eight days, thrusting prisoners into ‘miserable, inhumane conditions threatening their health and wellbeing,’ the letter said.

In addition to suffering excessive heat, inmates were allegedly unable to use fans or warm up food provided by their families, and some detainees were trapped in their cells due to nonfunctioning automatic doors. 

Despite the power cut, surveillance cameras monitoring detainees continued to operate, it is claimed, as did the constant fluorescent lighting.

Following the incident, inmates launched a hunger strike in protest, and some detainees allegedly attempted suicide. 

Dramatic videos, purportedly from Khalifa’s trial, have circulated on social media, showing the television star allegedly screaming in distress as she was handed the death sentence.

In one clip, a woman, understood to be Khalifa, can be heard shouting: ‘I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life!’

In another, the woman screams ‘I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged!’ and begs for ‘mercy and humanity’.

‘I am aware of the footage,’ said Dr El-Gindi, Sarah’s legal counsel. 

‘What can be said with certainty is that Sarah was under extraordinary psychological pressure during proceedings in which she was facing the possibility of a death sentence. 

‘Any footage should be understood in that context and should not be used in isolation to draw conclusions about either her guilt or the merits of the defence.’

The ruling came after the court consulted the Grand Mufti of Egypt for his religious opinion, a procedure required by Egyptian law in capital cases. 

At the trial, an additional nine defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment and a further seven were acquitted. 

Two other defendants wanted in relation to the drug gang are still at large and have been placed on travel bans and watch lists, according to the prosecution.

The death penalty is used by Egyptian authorities for crimes including terrorism, premeditated murder, rape and drug trafficking. 

According to Amnesty International, courts in the past have imposed death sentences ‘following grossly unfair trials’.

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms claimed that over 500 death sentences were issued last year.

The country executed 23 prisoners. 

Production company owner Khalifa was also sentenced alongside others to five years in prison over a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man. 

When the case first became public in April 2025, the Ministry of Interior announced the seizure of about 200 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials, as well as gold jewelry, sums of money in local and foreign currencies, and five cars, which it said were proceeds from criminal activity, estimating the value of those seizures at about £420million.

Further investigations showed that the total amount of drugs and raw materials seized in the case exceeded 750 kilograms.

Egyptian reports estimated their market value, following manufacturing, at more than one billion.

Khalifa founded the company ‘Sarah Production’ and organised events and concerts inside Egypt and a number of Gulf countries.

She presented the programme ‘Sarah and Beka’ on YouTube in 2024, along with the festival performer Hamo Beka, which hosted artists and celebrities.

She is associated with a beauty centre in the Agouza area of ​​Cairo, whose services she promotes online.

‘Our position is not merely an emotional objection to the sentence. We have identified substantial matters which, in our legal assessment, affected the fairness and validity of the trial proceedings,’ Dr El-Gindi said.

‘These matters will form an important part of our challenge to the judgment before the competent appellate court.

‘The death sentence should not be understood as meaning that Sarah is facing an imminent execution. 

‘The judgment is subject to appeal, and we will exercise all available legal remedies.’

He said the defence is preparing the appeal and will challenge both the conviction and the death sentence. 

‘Our objective is not simply to seek a reduction of the sentence; we will ask the appellate court to examine the case in its entirety, including the procedural violations and the evidence upon which the conviction was based.’

He concluded: ‘I would also emphasise an important legal point: this case is not over. A judgment at this stage should not be treated internationally as the final word on Sarah Khalifa’s guilt or fate. 

‘The defence has serious objections to the proceedings, and those objections will now be placed before the appellate judiciary.’

Four valuable Renoir paintings were taken during an early-morning raid at a small museum on the French Riviera on Tuesday, though the thieves abandoned two of the works while making their escape. The artworks targeted in the burglary are estimated to be worth a combined £15million.

Bryan Masson, the mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer, said at the scene that the intruders appeared to be both “well-equipped” and “well-informed” when they broke into the Renoir Museum through its garden.

According to Masson, the group cut through a fence using what was believed to be an electric knife or saw, then entered the museum at ground level before severing the clips that held the painting frames in place.

The museum alarm was triggered at 5.48am local time, and officers reached the site within five minutes, the mayor said.

In a written statement, Masson credited the rapid police response with “forcing the burglars to flee in haste” and said it helped prevent an even larger loss from the museum’s collection.

Two of the stolen works were found in the museum garden, but the two others are still missing, the statement said: ‘Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano’ and ‘Young Woman at the Well.’

An official with the regional police administration confirmed the theft and the hunt for suspects, and said an investigation is underway.

The museum had 12 works by Renoir in total, the mayor said. The museum was closed Tuesday while the investigation unfolded.

The mayor called for greater security measures for museums around France. ‘This incident should serve as a warning about the protection of our museums, which now face a new form of organized crime targeting works of art,’ his statement said.

Art theft expert James Ratcliffe of the Art Loss Register said that thieves are increasingly targeting valuable artifacts, including traditional art.

‘Sadly, without further funding to improve museum security, we are likely to see an increase in the number of museum thefts we see. 

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‘Each time thefts occur, it draws yet more attention to the perception of these museums as relatively easy targets. That can only encourage some criminals to consider them as straightforward places to steal from.’

The Renoir Museum on the French Riviera was opened in 1960 in Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s last home before his death in 1919. Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes, and nudes painted by the artist.

The theft comes less than a year after eight pieces of priceless 19th-century French crown jewels, valued at around £76million, were stolen from Louvre in Paris during a daylight robbery.

Four suspected thieves were later arrested, but the stolen items have still not been found, despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.

Since the Louvre robbery, France’s Ministry of Culture has made museum security a priority.

In July, a 33-measure national security plan was unveiled, recommending temporarily removing certain pieces from display cases.

‘The aim is to shelter the most vulnerable objects in suitable locations that will be identified for each department, pending the securing of their presentation,’ the Ministry said in a statement.

However, that same month, a gold collar dating from the Celtic period, from 2,500 years ago, which had been found buried in Burgundy, was stolen in broad daylight from the archaeological museum in Chatillon-sur-Seine.

Also in July,  thieves stole an estimated 4.5million euros worth of jewellery from the Lalique museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in north-eastern France.

And just last month, paintings worth more than €9million (£7.5million) were recovered after being stolen in just three minutes by masked thieves from a museum in northern Italy in March.

Videos showed the thieves sneaking into the Magnani-Rocca Foundation near Parma to steal works by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse in just 180 seconds.

They removed three paintings – Fish by Renoir, Still Life with Cherries by Cezanne, and Odalisque on the Terrace by Matisse – from the walls before handing them out of a window to an accomplice.

Fish is worth £2.6million, Still Life with Cherries £5.1million and Odalisque on the Terrace £17,000.  

Italian police found the paintings in the storeroom of a house in Parma, where they arrested five Moldovans. They had been stashed in the cardboard packaging of a flat-screen television.