British Airways cancelled nearly 550 flights on September 10, 2026, following an air traffic control outage at the UK’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) earlier in the week. The disruptions affected multiple UK airports and impacted more than 85,000 customers across the airline’s network.
Since the outage on Tuesday, British Airways has rebooked over 60,000 customers onto alternative flights. On Wednesday, the airline managed to operate close to 80% of its planned schedule despite ongoing disruptions. More than 190 flights scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled due to aircraft and crew not being in position, as the airline adjusted its timetable
to recover operations.
British Airways issued a statement at 09:00 on Thursday, September 10, confirming that its teams had been working to restore normal flight operations following the NATS outage. The airline expects to return to its regular schedule on Thursday. To accommodate passengers affected by the disruption, British Airways is allowing free flight changes until Sunday, September 13, 2026, for those who decide not to travel. The company also acknowledged that employees had worked beyond their scheduled hours or volunteered to assist affected customers during the recovery effort.
The outage demonstrated the significant impact that a failure in one
part of the aviation system can have on airlines and passengers, emphasizing the interdependence within the UK air traffic network.
