Computer glitch causes UK airport chaos

Passengers line up in Terminal Three as they wait for delayed flights at Heathrow Airport on December 12, 2014 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images

Dozens of flights have been cancelled in Britain and many others delayed after a computer failure at the headquarters of air traffic control company Nats.

For a time there were no flights able to take off or land at some UK airports and although Nats were able to resolve the problem by around 4pm local time on Friday, delays and cancellations were expected to drag on into the evening.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the disruption was unacceptable.

"Any disruption to our aviation system is a matter of the utmost concern, especially at this time of year in the run-up to the holiday season.

"Disruption on this scale is simply unacceptable and I have asked Nats for a full explanation of this evening's incident. I also want to know what steps will be taken to prevent this happening again."

Friday's problem at Nats' state-of-the-art STG700 million ($A1.28 billion) centre at Swanwick is by no means the first glitch at the Hampshire centre.

Having resolved the problem, which started around mid-afternoon, Nats said: "It will take time for operations across the UK to fully recover so passengers should contact their airline for the status of their flight.

"We apologise for any delays and the inconvenience this may have caused."

Heathrow said 50 flights had had to be cancelled at the west London airport and warned that this figure could rise and that delays could persist. A spokesman added that there could be delays lasting into tomorrow.

- AAP