Flights bound for Birmingham Airport faced diversions following a power outage that disrupted the radar system. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, January 12, led to incoming flights being redirected while outgoing flights continued to operate.
The technical glitch at a radar site managed by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) resulted in significant delays, prompting several flights to be rerouted to East Midlands Airport and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport.
A spokesperson acknowledged the situation, stating, “Due to a technical issue with the radar serving Birmingham Airport, only departing flights are currently operating with some delays. All incoming flights are temporarily suspended. We apologize for the inconvenience to passengers and are collaborating with NATS to resolve the problem.”
NATS confirmed that the radar serving Birmingham Airport had been restored, attributing the initial disruption to a power outage caused by adverse weather conditions. The agency expressed regret for any inconvenience caused to affected passengers.
Earlier in the week, Birmingham Airport had to cease operations due to adverse weather conditions during Storm Goretti, leading to flight cancellations and disruptions in road and air travel across the Midlands.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that multiple flights scheduled to land at Birmingham Airport were diverted since Sunday evening, though it remains unclear if these diversions were related to the power outage. Delays and cancellations affected other incoming flights as well.
In summary, all inbound flights to Birmingham Airport were impacted by the radar system issue, leading to diversions and cancellations. Affected flights were redirected to alternative airports until the radar service was fully restored.