More than 2,000 flights were cancelled across UK airports on September 8 and 9, 2026, following a four-hour outage in the NATS air traffic control system. The disruption affected major hubs including London Heathrow and Gatwick airports and forced airlines such as Ryanair and British Airways to cancel hundreds of flights.
Cause and Government Response
The failure was traced to a technical problem in NATS’s flight data system and was unrelated to the 2023 outage caused by a rogue flight plan. NATS CEO Martin Rolfe ruled out a cyberattack. Following the incident, Transport Minister Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe and gave him one week to
report on the cause and recovery efforts. Alexander condemned the outage as not unavoidable and ordered an independent review by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), with findings expected within six months.
Travel Disruptions and Passenger Impact
Ryanair was forced to cancel 260 flights, disrupting travel for 48,000 passengers and resulting in losses of £3 million so far. British Airways cancelled or diverted 100 flights on September 8 and cancelled an additional 190 flights on September 9. Heathrow and Gatwick airports reported ongoing knock-on effects due to aircraft and crew repositioning, increasing delays and cancellations.
Passengers affected by cancellations are entitled under UK regulations to refunds
or rebooking, along with meal provisions, accommodation, and reimbursement of reasonable expenses. However, the CAA stated that passengers are unlikely to receive compensation payments, as the disruption likely qualifies as an “extraordinary circumstance.”
Official Statements and Industry Reactions
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said, “I do not believe this issue was unavoidable,” and emphasized the need for the CAA review to improve future system resilience. A NATS spokeswoman confirmed a full investigation to identify the root cause and any further action required.
Airlines UK CEO Tim Alderslade highlighted regulatory weaknesses exposed by the failure, noting airlines bear the financial burden of disruptions caused outside their control.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary described the incident as “an absolute rerun” of the 2023 outage and called for NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to step down.
Industry Context and Ongoing Litigation
NATS operates as a public-private partnership partially owned by airlines including British Airways and easyJet, pension funds, and the UK government. The company paid £175 million in dividends to shareholders in 2025.
Ryanair is pursuing legal action against NATS for over £7 million in the London High Court related to the 2023 air traffic control failure. The recent outage is the second major NATS system failure in three years, following a July 2025 radar-related issue
affecting major UK airports and the costly 2023 shutdown.
