Technical failures at the UK air traffic control provider Nats led to 1,750 flight cancellations on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, and 327 cancellations on Wednesday, September 9, disrupting departures and arrivals at major UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Luton, Bristol, and Belfast City.
Nats Flight Processing System Fault Causes Extensive Flight Disruptions
The disruption started Tuesday afternoon due to a fault in Nats’ flight processing system, marking the third significant outage the company has experienced in three years. Heathrow Airport paused departures around lunchtime on Tuesday and resumed later but continued to face knock-on delays. Gatwick and other UK airports saw similar interruptions, with flights resuming but
full operational recovery expected to take days.
As of Wednesday, flights had resumed at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Luton, Stansted, Bristol, and Belfast City airports, but ongoing delays persisted as aircraft and crews repositioned.
Official Responses Acknowledge Disruption and Call for Investigation
Nats apologized for the disruptions, stating that engineers worked urgently to resolve the fault. Heathrow Airport said it was recovering operations but expected ripple effects to continue. A Gatwick spokesperson confirmed flights had resumed but warned full normalization would require more time. British Airways confirmed the outage was beyond its control and communicated with affected customers.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with Nats CEO Martin Rolfe, who
has led the company for 11 years, to discuss the incident. The government maintains confidence in Nats’ leadership yet demanded a detailed incident report within one week. Rolfe’s total compensation for the year ending March 31 included £1.4 million with a £343,000 bonus.
Criticism Mounts Over Repeated Nats Failures
Industry figures highlighted concerns over Nats’ recurrent technical faults, including a 2023 computer shutdown that caused chaos for 700,000 passengers and a 2025 outage causing 150 cancellations. Wizz Air UK Managing Director Yvonne Moynihan criticized Nats leadership, stating, “I think in any position where you’ve had three failures you need to consider three strikes and you’re out.”
Former Nats air traffic control manager Doug Maclean remarked on the contrast between the system’s world-class design and its recurring outages.
Passenger Impact and Continued Delays Expected
Passengers experienced widespread cancellations and delays across the affected airports, with some reporting prolonged waits on planes due to radar and control outages. Although flights resumed on Wednesday, the rebalancing of aircraft and crew schedules is expected to extend disruptions for several days across UK and Irish airports.
Travelers were advised to verify flight status directly with airlines given the evolving situation. Airports confirmed ongoing knock-on scheduling impacts despite operational resumptions.
Nats Ownership and Accountability
Nats operates as a public-private partnership with 49%
ownership by the UK government and remaining shares held by UK airlines including British Airways, easyJet, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Heathrow Airport and Nats staff. Despite technological excellence, the recurring faults have prompted calls for organizational and technological system overhauls to prevent future incidents.
