More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across UK airports by 8pm on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, after a technical fault disrupted the NATS air traffic control system.
At least 177 additional flights scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, were also cancelled, with nearly all cancellations focused at London Heathrow Airport.
The fault began around 1pm on Tuesday, primarily affecting departures before spreading to arriving flights due to limited airspace capacity. NATS resolved the issue around 4:40pm, though recovery continued into the following day.
Major Airports Affected
The disruption impacted operations at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Belfast, Luton, Bristol, and Belfast City Airports.
Departures at Heathrow were paused around lunchtime on Tuesday, later resuming with significant delays. Arrivals at Heathrow were suspended for the remainder of Tuesday night. Gatwick flights restarted by 7am on Wednesday but faced ongoing recovery challenges.
Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, and several regional airports also reported cancellations and delays extending from the technical issues at NATS.
Airline Impact and Passenger Delays
British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights on Tuesday afternoon and offered free rebooking to affected customers until Friday, September 11.
Ryanair reported delays impacting over 65,000 passengers and cancelled 50 flights. Ryanair’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, called for NATS leadership
changes following repeated system failures.
easyJet indicated the disruption caused knock-on effects throughout European airspace, and Eurocontrol confirmed that some inbound flights had to be held abroad due to UK airspace restrictions.
Technical Fault and Resolution
NATS identified the problem as a failure in its flight data processing system around 1:46pm Tuesday and resolved it by 4:40pm. The fault was distinct from prior outages in 2023 and 2025, according to NATS.
The fault primarily halted departures, leading to a backlog of delayed flights affecting arrivals later in the day.
NATS provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and
Stansted. The organization is a public-private partnership with 49% government ownership.
Official Responses
NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, who has led the company for 11 years, expressed “huge sympathies to everyone who has been caught up in today’s disruption” and accepted full responsibility.
Rolfe said, “We absolutely take responsibility for this. We never want this sort of thing to happen. I completely understand how frustrating it is for passengers.” He added that efforts to resume operations were ongoing.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the fault and the frustration caused, stating technicians were actively working on the issue. She is scheduled to address
parliament regarding aviation system improvements.
Ryanair’s Neal McMahon criticised NATS, saying, “Families travelling on holiday, people travelling for work and thousands of visitors to the UK have once again paid the price for Nats’ abhorrent failure.” Wizz Air UK managing director Yvonne Moynihan called NATS “simply not fit for purpose in its current form.”
Passenger Impact and Recovery
Passengers experienced delays of up to eight hours on Tuesday with cancellations carrying over into Wednesday. Heathrow advised travelers to only proceed if their flights have confirmed status, as disruption continued to affect scheduling.
British Airways provided free rebooking options for affected passengers through Friday, while
airlines and airports coordinated efforts to clear the resulting backlog.
The NATS spokesperson described the situation as a “very complex recovery” affecting the entire aviation network, with full restoration expected to take time.
Historical Context and Industry Criticism
This event marked the third major UK air traffic control failure in just over three years, following significant outages in 2023 and 2025 that severely disrupted travel.
Past incidents prompted a parliamentary inquiry and increasing scrutiny of NATS, which is partly owned by the UK government and shares by airlines and airport staff.
Repeated technical failures have increased calls from airlines including Ryanair and Wizz Air for
leadership overhaul and system modernization at NATS, given its critical role in UK airspace management.
