Ryanair canceled more than 1,000 flights in September 2026 due to two UK air traffic control system failures occurring within a fortnight, significantly disrupting its operations.
On September 8, 2026, a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) system failure grounded over 1,300 flights across Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted airports. Aviation analytics firm Cirium and tracking service Flightradar24 recorded more than 2,000 flights delayed or canceled over a two-day period around this event.
Compounding Disruptions at UK Airports
Further disruption during September 2026 stemmed from a separate connectivity issue at the NATS Scottish control centre at Prestwick, which resulted in additional flight cancellations. The period was
also affected by strikes from Belgian air traffic controllers and volcanic ash clouds from Mount Etna, adding to operational pressures in British airspace.
Passenger Statistics and Capacity Changes
Despite the cancellations and disruptions, Ryanair carried 20.1 million passengers on more than 111,700 flights in September 2026, marking a 4% increase compared to the previous year. Rival airline Wizz Air reported a 24% rise in passengers, reaching 7.78 million over the same period. However, Wizz Air announced plans to reduce its late-year capacity by 5%, citing higher jet fuel prices and conflicts in the Middle East.
Official Responses and Calls for Accountability
Following the September 8 system failure, NATS chief executive Martin
Rolfe apologized publicly and dismissed cyber attack theories, attributing the incident to a “spurious flight plan.” He stated, “Things do go wrong in complex systems.” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander held urgent talks with NATS chairman Sir Warren East to address these failures. In response, Ryanair chief operating officer Neal McMahon criticized Rolfe as an “overpaid failure” and called for his resignation.
The September 8 collapse echoed a similar system failure in August 2023 when a French flight plan caused significant disruption.
Data from Cirium and Flightradar24 underscores the scale of these disruptions, providing evidence of over 2,000 flights canceled or
delayed during the peak two-day period.
