A technical fault in the UK’s air traffic control flight processing system managed by National Air Traffic Services (NATS) caused widespread disruption on September 8, 2026. The issue was identified and resolved by NATS at around 7:30pm, with the final update issued at 10:17pm that night.
The system failure affected multiple major UK airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, and Manchester, leading to significant flight delays and cancellations. More than 65,000 passengers experienced delays lasting up to eight hours. Ryanair reported cancelling over 50 flights during the disruption.
Gatwick Flight Operations Resume
By 7:00am on September 9, Gatwick Airport confirmed that flight operations had resumed
following the day-long interruption. A spokesperson for Gatwick stated, “However, we still anticipate that it will take time for our operations to fully return to normal.” They added, “Passengers should continue to check with their airlines for more information regarding their flights.” Journeys to and from Gatwick prior to resumption were affected by delays and cancellations.
Recovery and Passenger Guidance
NATS described the recovery as complex, impacting the entire UK aviation network. The air traffic control service said, “Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today’s disruption. This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole
aviation network, from which it will take time to recover. We apologise again for the disruption caused.” They urged passengers to verify flight statuses directly with their airlines for travel scheduled on the evening of September 8 or on September 9.
