My rights if flights cancelled after air traffic issues

A fault affecting air traffic control services has led to flight cancellations at Stansted Airport and lengthy delays for passengers travelling from Southend Airport over the past 24 hours.

Stansted has since confirmed that flights are operating normally again and airport operations have returned to normal.

The issue affected airports across the UK, with National Air Traffic Services (NATS) saying: "We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures."

While flight cancellations can quickly derail travel plans, passengers should be aware of their rights when journeys are disrupted.

Airlines are legally required to provide care and assistance following a cancelled flight, regardless of the cause.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says travellers may be entitled to accommodation, meals and transport between the airport and hotel if they are rebooked onto a flight departing the following day.

A CAA spokesperson said: "The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it."

Where widespread disruption makes it difficult for airlines to arrange assistance, passengers may need to organise their own accommodation and transport before reclaiming the costs.

The spokesperson added: "If you end up paying for things yourself, keep every receipt and do not spend more than is reasonable.

"Airlines are unlikely to refund you for things like luxury hotels or alcohol.

"Some will provide guidance on reasonable costs."

Passengers must also be offered the choice of a full refund for any unused part of their ticket or an alternative flight to their destination.

Whether compensation is available depends on the reason for the cancellation.

The CAA spokesperson said: "Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes, or other 'extraordinary circumstances' are not eligible for compensation."

Eligibility also depends on how much notice passengers were given and the timing of any replacement flight.

The CAA said: "If you received less than seven days' notice of the cancellation, you can claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight."

However, passengers will not be entitled to compensation if their replacement flight departs no more than one hour before the original departure time and arrives less than two hours after the scheduled arrival time.