Passengers prepare for chaos as air traffic controllers go digital

BRITISH plane passengers face weeks of chaos as air traffic controllers change from using pens and paper to a new digital system.

Delays are likely at Gatwick and Heathrow over the next three weeks as the new technology comes in.

An electronic system called EXCDS will replace traditional paper strips in a historic move for the Nats, the UK’S leading air traffic control provider, which handles 1.8million flights a year.

The number of flights allowed to land at the London airports will be reduced while controllers gain confidence using the new system.

Average delays at Heathrow could be 20 minutes as arrivals are limited to 80 per cent of maximum capacity for 10 days from today.

This will be raised to 90 per cent of maximum capacity for the following 10 days, hopefully improving the punctuality of flights.

It came as a separate computer failure to the system that regulates flight plans means half of all the flights in Europe also face delays.

Almost half of 29,500 flights were expected to be delayed by the failure of the Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System at the Eurocontrol centre in Brussels. Eurocontrol said it expected the system to be back up and running this evening.