Vietnam Airlines adjusts UK flight schedules amid air traffic control disruption

Vietnam Airlines said on Wednesday that flight VN51 from Ho Chi Minh City to London on Tuesday was diverted to Frankfurt Airport in Germany as operations at Heathrow Airport and several other airports in the UK were disrupted.

The flight was scheduled to resume its journey from Frankfurt to London at 7:00 am on Wednesday.

In the opposite direction, flight VN50 from London to Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday had its departure time adjusted and was scheduled to take off at 9:40 am local time.

UK authorities said air traffic control operations had begun to recover. However, Heathrow Airport continued to restrict arriving flights as it worked to handle a large backlog of disrupted flights.

As a result, Vietnam Airlines’ flight schedule could change further depending on the situation.

For VN51, which was diverted to Frankfurt, the airline coordinated with relevant agencies to provide passengers with food and drinks in the transit area while they waited to continue their journey.

In London, passengers on VN50 were also informed of the new departure time and the necessary assistance.

Vietnam Airlines said it was closely monitoring the situation and working with authorities, airports and relevant agencies to update its operating plans and help passengers continue their journeys as soon as possible.

Passengers planning to travel to or from London during this period are advised to regularly check their flight status on the Vietnam Airlines website, app and official customer service channels.

Flights at major British airports were disrupted on Tuesday by a technical fault at air traffic control provider NATS, Reuters reported.

According to data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24, 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday. Another 177 flights had been cancelled for Wednesday, nearly all of them at Heathrow, the country's largest airport.