Flights resume after technical glitch closed London airspace

London: Britain`s National Air Traffic Service(NATS) said Friday that flights had resumed at airports in southern England after a technical problem that shut down air traffic control in London airspace was resolved.

NATS cited a technical failure at the Swanwick center, which is responsible for air traffic control over England and Wales south of Manchester.

All flights into and out of London Heathrow aiport, Europe`s busiest, were suspended for around 90 minutes and a spokesman said around 50 flights had been canceled, with that number expected to grow.

The affects of the shutdown were likely to continue to be felt Saturday, the spokesman said.

Takeoffs had resumed at Gatwick, southwest of London, airport managers said, but delays persisted.