// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'It's been a nightmare': Passengers face airport chaos after air traffic issue
'Horrendous experience': Passengers react to travel chaos
Passengers left stranded by an hours-long air traffic control issue at UK airports have told the BBC of nightmare delays, chaotic scenes and waylaid holiday plans.
Hundreds of thousands of people are thought to have been hit with flight cancellations and delays throughout Tuesday and Wednesday after a technical problem caused the air traffic outage.
That included newlyweds Sasha and James, who told BBC Your Voice they spent three hours stranded in Wetherspoons at Gatwick after their flight to their honeymoon was cancelled.
Some also described sleeping on airport floors and chaos at baggage reclaim as thousands looked to reorganise their plans, while others have been stranded abroad while trying to get back to the UK.
Nats, the UK's air traffic control provider, has said flight operations are now stable but airlines have warned of continued knock-on disruption. Passengers have been advised to check their flight status before travelling to airports.
The boss of Nats Martin Rolfe apologised for the disruption and also met with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Wednesday, who asked for a full investigation.
Most of the UK's main airports were hit by the problem including Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Glasgow.
Speaking to the BBC earlier on Wednesday, newly married couple Sasha and James Graham said they were boarding their flight from Gatwick to Funchal on the island of Madeira when they were "turned right back around".
The newlyweds spent three hours at a Wetherspoons in Gatwick after a flight to their honeymoon was cancelled