Daily News B1 · Intermediate 4 practice tests

Air-Traffic Control Problem Disrupts More Than 2,000 Flights at British Airports

By Emma Carter
2 min read 234 words Published Sep 10, 2026
Representative image: Terminal 5 2025
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Intro

More than 2,000 flights have been disrupted over the past two days because of an air-traffic control problem affecting British airports.

Vocabulary

Daily News

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Practise the 5 words from Air-Traffic Control Problem Disrupts More Than 2,000 Flights at British Airports.

Word Part of speech Meaning Example
disrupted verb verb Meaning: stopped or changed normal activity Example: The storm disrupted train services.
linked adjective adjective Meaning: connected with something Example: The delay was linked to heavy rain.
schedules noun noun Meaning: planned times for activities or journeys Example: Passengers checked their train schedules online.
widespread adjective adjective Meaning: affecting many people or places Example: The storm caused widespread damage.
affected verb verb Meaning: changed or harmed something or someone Example: The power cut affected many homes.

The story

More than 2,000 flights have been disrupted at British airports over the past two days. The disruption is linked to an air-traffic control problem that has affected normal air travel.

Heathrow is named in the title of the report, which describes the situation as a time of major confusion and difficulty. The verified information does not identify a single airport as the only one affected. Instead, it says that British airports have been stymied by the control problem.

Air-traffic control helps organize the movement of planes. When there is a problem with that system, flights may not be able to follow their planned schedules. In this case, the problem has affected more than 2,000 flights in only two days.

The figure shows the size of the disruption. It is not a small delay involving a few travelers or one flight. A large number of flights have been affected across British airport operations, making this an important travel story.

The available report does not provide further verified details about the cause of the air-traffic control problem, how long it will continue, or when normal service will return. It also does not give details about individual passengers or airlines.

For now, the central fact is clear: a problem with air-traffic control has caused widespread disruption at British airports. More than 2,000 flights have been affected during the past two days, creating a difficult period for air travel in Britain.

Warm-up questions

  1. What problems can cause flights to be delayed or canceled?
  2. How might many delayed flights affect travelers?

Comprehension questions

  1. How many flights were disrupted?
  2. What system is connected to the disruption?
  3. Why might flights miss their planned times?
  4. What information does the report not provide?
  5. What is the central fact of the story?

Opinion questions

  1. What should airports do first when many flights are disrupted?
  2. Would you still travel during this kind of disruption? Why or why not?

Further discussion

  1. How can airports communicate clearly with passengers during a major problem?
  2. What wider effects can airport disruption have on businesses and families?

Writing prompt

  1. Write a short news summary explaining the airport disruption, its size, and the information that is still unknown.

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