National Air Traffic Services (NATS) experienced a system outage on September 8, 2026, disrupting UK air traffic control and causing about 2,000 flight cancellations across major airports including London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Manchester. Airlines canceled 1,750 flights on September 8 alone, with a further 291 cancellations on September 9 as the recovery continued under complex conditions.
Heathrow Airport suspended all arrivals on September 8 for the remainder of the day while departures resumed later. FlightRadar24 reported approximately 1,300 canceled flights on September 8 and 177 cancellations scheduled for September 9, mostly at Heathrow. More than 330,000 passengers were affected
by the disruption throughout the UK on these days.
Official Statements and Airline Impacts
NATS apologized for the system failure and confirmed operations stabilized by September 9, announcing a full investigation to determine corrective actions. CEO Martin Rolfe expressed regret but maintained the system is fit for purpose. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with Rolfe, expressing “significant concerns at the scale of disruption” and demanded a thorough inquiry.
Ryanair canceled over 50 flights, directly impacting approximately 65,000 passengers, with the disruption causing an immediate loss estimated at £3 million. British Airways canceled more than 190 flights and communicated adjustments via social media. Air India
and Qatar Airways also reported delays and flight diversions related to the outage.
Passenger Experience and Travel Disruption
Many travelers faced extended delays and cancellations, leading to congested terminals and chaotic scenes at affected airports. A British Airways passenger described a replacement journey involving a “24 hour 4 flight transit for a 2 and a half hour flight to Rome.” Another passenger, Josie Donoghue, reported spending three hours on a plane before her Ryanair flight to Ireland was canceled at Gatwick, describing the airport experience as “an absolute nightmare.”
Some families, including American visitors attempting flights to Connecticut, were stranded overnight at Heathrow due to
fully booked nearby hotels. Ground staff at airports were subject to both praise and criticism as they dealt with the fallout.
Cause, Background, and Investigation
The disruption originated from a malfunction in NATS’s air traffic control system on September 8. The resolution process took longer than expected, complicating the recovery across the aviation network. NATS committed to a full investigation to identify failure points. Similar major outages have occurred in recent years including incidents in 2023 and 2024, affecting Heathrow and other airports.
NATS has faced criticism from budget carriers such as Ryanair and Wizz Air for delayed responses and repeated failures, with calls
for leadership changes. Despite this, the NATS CEO maintains confidence in the system’s overall fitness.
Flight Cancellations and Airport Status
Flight cancellations and operational disruptions primarily affected London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports, plus Manchester. Heathrow handled over 84 million passengers in 2025 and is the seventh-busiest airport worldwide. The cancellations on September 8 totaled more than 1,750 flights, with continued cancellations numbering 291 on September 9.
Heathrow arrivals were suspended on September 8, but departures resumed the same day. Airlines continued repositioning aircraft and crews through September 9 as operations worked to return to normal. Passengers were strongly encouraged to verify flight status before
traveling due to ongoing disruptions.
