More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across multiple UK airports on September 8, 2026, after a technical failure in the UK’s air traffic control system operated by NATS.
The disruption affected airports including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, London Luton, London Stansted, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Dublin Airport in Ireland. The failure was traced to a technical issue with NATS’s flight processing system.
London Heathrow Airport suspended all arrivals for the remainder of the day to ensure passenger and staff safety while departures resumed but with ongoing disruption expected. Manchester Airport announced it aimed to operate a full schedule on
September 9, 2026, although it anticipated higher traffic levels due to rescheduled flights from the previous day.
Passengers experienced widespread cancellations and delays across at least 15 UK airports. Travellers were advised to verify flight status with their airlines before traveling as the backlog of flights was being addressed.
Official responses and operational updates
NATS reported that its system issue was resolved and the operator was working to normalize operations and clear the flight backlog. The air traffic control provider stated: “Our system issue is now resolved, we are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights.”
Heathrow Airport
stated, “Arrivals into the airport had been suspended for the remainder of the day to ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues.” British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed relief over the resolution while warning it would take time to fully resume flight operations. She said she was seeking assurances that lessons would be learned and systems underpinning aviation were fit for purpose.
The technical fault disrupted both arrivals and departures on September 8, 2026, forcing cancellations and delays across the UK’s major airports and extending to Dublin Airport. Recovery efforts led by NATS engineers on site ensured the problem
was fixed later that day, allowing operations to gradually return to normal.
