British Airways cancels flights from Heathrow

British Airways flights within Britain and Europe headed to or leaving from Heathrow Airport were affected Friday. Other airports were back to normal.

The computer problem happened Thursday afternoon at a control center outside London run by air traffic control company Nats. The problem resulted in a restriction of the number of planes entering British airspace.

Air traffic control company Nats has had computer problems on several occasions since opening its control center in Hampshire in 2002.

"We take every step to avoid any problems but are always aware that in maintaining and updating highly complex systems we can experience difficulties," Nats' operational performance director Ian Hall said in a statement.

Budget airline Ryanair also reported some residual flight delays Friday.