Major IT Failure Grounds All Flights at Scotland's Busiest Airport
All flights from Edinburgh Airport were abruptly suspended on Friday morning following a significant IT system failure affecting its air traffic control services. The airport confirmed the complete halt to operations in a statement, advising passengers to contact their airlines directly for the latest information on their travel plans.
The disruption began early in the day, with the airport's social media channels announcing: “Due to an IT issue with our air traffic control provider no flights are currently operating from Edinburgh. Teams are working on the issue and will resolve as soon as possible.” The provider in question is Air Navigation Solutions.
Scale of the Disruption and Passenger Impact
The grounding of flights at Scotland's largest airport has caused widespread travel chaos. Edinburgh Airport handles approximately 15 million passengers annually, averaging around 43,000 travellers each day, and serves 155 destinations globally. Major airlines operating from the hub, including budget carriers EasyJet and Ryanair, have been caught up in the cancellations.
Passengers were left stranded at the terminal, with many taking to social media to express frustration over the lack of immediate information. Airport staff have been directing affected individuals to liaise with their airlines for rebooking or refund options while engineers scramble to fix the technical fault.
A Recurring Problem for Air Travel
This incident highlights a growing and persistent vulnerability in modern aviation. Air traffic control issues, particularly IT failures, have become one of the most recurrent problems facing airlines and airports across Europe and the UK. Such systemic failures can lead to cascading delays and cancellations across national and international networks, underscoring the critical reliance on digital infrastructure for safe air travel.
As teams work to restore systems, the focus remains on minimising the knock-on effects throughout the day. Further details on the root cause of the failure and the expected timeline for a full resumption of services are awaited. For now, passengers booked to travel from Edinburgh are strongly advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
