Flights departing the UK have been disrupted by an air traffic control “technical issue”, Nats have said.

Heathrow Airport, in west London, confirmed it was one of the airports impacted but said arriving flights were “currently not affected” in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

Nats said in a statement: “We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures.

“Our engineers are on site and we will provide an update as soon as we can.

“We apologise for the delay this will cause to journeys, passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight.

“We will provide updates on www.nats.aero and on X – @NATS.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “The air traffic control service Nats is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting departing flights at UK airports.

“Arriving flights are not currently impacted.

“We are supporting our local Nats team in their efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

“We will provide updated information when we have it.”

The airport apologised to impacted customers and advised passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information.

Nats provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports.