Passengers are braced for days of travel disruption with hundreds more flights already cancelled this morning.

It is the second day of chaos caused by an air traffic control system failure which saw around 1,300 flights cancelled to and from UK airports yesterday.

A technical issue on Tuesday hit the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which provides services to 15 airports across the country, causing disruption in terminals across the world.

And the disruption is continuing into Wednesday, with dozens of airlines warning of further cancellations and delays as they attempt to recover from the chaos and reposition aircraft and crew as thousands of passengers remain stranded.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is due to speak to NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe before addressing MPs in the Commons this afternoon as upheaval continues. 

Heathrow had already recorded 246 cancellations by 6am on Wednesday, according to FlightRadar24, while 33 flights had been cancelled at Gatwick.

Passengers travelling through Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted have been warned to check their flights before setting off, with the disruption expected to take time to clear.

Former racing driver Martin Brundle said last night he had been stuck on a plane at Heathrow for ‘nine hours’ and had travelled nowhere. 

The Sky Sports Formula 1 broadcaster said the toilets on the aircraft had become blocked and that no food was being offered to passengers. 

‘Great work BA and Heathrow. Nine hours and counting sitting on a plane which has travelled nowhere,’ Mr Brundle wrote on X. 

‘At a remote parking bay, no food throughout, and mother/baby and a person with a medical condition desperate to get off. As is everyone else. Toilets no longer available as blocked.’

Images showed queues spilling out of terminals across the country after the chaos unfolded yesterday afternoon

British Airways planes are seen grounded at Heathrow on Tuesday afternoon following the technical issue

Heathrow Airport said on Wednesday morning that flights were operating but warned passengers that problems could continue throughout the day.

‘Following yesterday’s NATS technical issue, flights are operating today, but some disruption may continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew,’ it said.

‘Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport and only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating.

‘We apologise to those affected and have extra colleagues across our terminals to support passengers while we work with NATS and airline partners to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.’

Travel journalist Simon Calder warned that the knock-on effects could be particularly severe on Wednesday as aircraft and crews remain out of position following Tuesday’s cancellations.

He told Sky News: ‘There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn’t go out tonight.’

He said the knock-on effects were ‘going to be horrible’.

And air travel expert Julian Bray claimed: ‘The disruption to air traffic is likely to go on for a good three weeks. It was not just passenger services hit by the NATS Air Traffic computer meltdown but also crews and aircraft rendered inoperative as planes out of position, pilots out of hours as are cabin crew. 

‘Air Cargo services also hit and many time critical shipments either ruined destroyed or delayed. 

‘Sadly all this could happen again with the current legacy computer set up it’s insufficient to simply bolt on new front end parts onto an ancient legacy system.’

The disruption has already affected tens of thousands of holidaymakers and business travellers, with some passengers left trapped on aircraft for hours and others facing lengthy queues at terminals.

One passenger, Josie Donoghue, was forced to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway at Gatwick.

Ms Donoghue said: ‘Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there. We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out.

‘It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.’

Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted and that it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights.

British Airways said it was forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday, affecting ‘tens of thousands of customers’.

Hundreds more flights have been cancelled as passengers brace for a second day of travel chaos 

National Air Traffic Service chief Martin Rolfe faced calls to resign on Tuesday after a technical issue sent the country’s airports into turmoil

The chaos has also reignited criticism of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe, with Ryanair calling for him to resign over what it described as repeated failures.

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operating officer, said: ‘How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?

‘Over three years after Nats’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC (air traffic control) delays of up to eight hours today due a critical Nats ATC system failing.’

Mr Rolfe has defended his position, saying he ‘always accept(s) full responsibility’ for the failure.

He told Sky News: ‘I am the CEO of a piece of critical infrastructure, so it is my job to take responsibility for that.

‘What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today.

‘You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public.’

Wizz Air also criticised NATS after the latest incident, saying it was ‘extremely disappointed’ that another technical problem had caused widespread disruption.

The airline said: ‘A critical national infrastructure provider should not repeatedly bring the aviation system to a standstill. NATS is simply not fit for purpose in its current form.’

NATS said work was continuing to help airlines and airports recover from the disruption.

On Tuesday night, it said on X: ‘Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today’s disruption.

‘This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover.

‘We apologise again for the disruption caused. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight tonight or tomorrow.’

Thousands of passengers were left stranded at Heathrow after having their flights delayed or cancelled

Shadow Transport Minister Greg Smith also criticised NATS, which is 49 per cent Government-owned.

He said: ‘Yet again passengers are stuck on the tarmac wondering why Britain cannot keep its own skies open. The Government and NATS must explain what has happened and how they will make sure resilience is improved.’

Luton Airport confirmed early on Wednesday that it was ‘open and operational’, but warned that some flights could still be affected.

The airport said: ‘Some flights may still be subject to disruption and passengers are advised to check their flight status directly before travelling to the airport.’

Passengers have been urged to check directly with their airline before travelling to the airport and only set off if their flight is confirmed to be operating.

Have you been affected? Email lettice.bromovsky@dailymail.co.uk