LONDON, Jan 27: Six years later than expected and way over budget, Britain’s new hi-tech air traffic control centre finally began operating on Sunday, but its launch will mean up to 10 days of delays for passengers.

Originally due for completion in 1996, the new centre at Swanwick, southern England, has been blighted by a series of computer glitches that pushed the cost of the project up to 623 million pounds (1.0 billion euros, 898 million dollars) — 50 per cent over the original budget.

The new centre finally took over the controls in the early hours of Sunday morning, apparently without any major hitches.

“Swanwick’s entry into service represents a remarkable technical achievement,” said Richard Everitt, chief executive of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS).

“Britain can now boast the most technically advanced air traffic control centre in the world,” he said in a statement.

“Today’s successful switch of operations from West Drayton to Swanwick is one of the largest and most complex logistical transitions in air traffic history.”

But Britons will have to pay an additional cost for the vast, state-of-the-art control centre, because disruptions caused by the changeover are expected to affect both internal and European flights.

“We have warned that there could be delays for around 10 days but this is not a particularly busy part of the year for air movements,” a NATS spokesman said.—AFP