More than 1,750 flights across 15 UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, and several Scottish airports, were cancelled on September 9, 2026. The disruption began on September 8 and continued despite the original fault being resolved by Tuesday afternoon.
Cause of the Disruption and NATS Background
NATS identified “an issue in our flight processing system” as the cause of the cancellations and delays. This marks the second major air traffic control outage managed by NATS in three years. Martin Rolfe, CEO of NATS, apologized for the disruption but emphasized safety as the priority, stating the UK air traffic control remains one of the safest and most
efficient globally. The UK government owns 49% of NATS and retains veto power over key decisions affecting national airspace.
Passenger and Airline Impact
Passengers experienced cancellations, long delays, and extended wait times in terminals and on runways at affected airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick where some sat on floors due to lack of information. Ryanair cancelled more than 50 flights affecting over 65,000 passengers and publicly called for CEO Martin Rolfe’s resignation for repeated mismanagement. Wizz Air also condemned NATS leadership. EasyJet reported flight cancellations and delays across Europe linked to the system failure. British Airways customer service lines were overwhelmed and eventually switched
off.
Official Statements and Responses
Martin Rolfe apologized for the inconvenience caused and said, “Our job is also to make sure that people stay safe, We never do this lightly.” Heathrow Airport advised passengers to “only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating,” apologized for disruption, and deployed extra staff to support passengers. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe and demanded a full investigation with lessons learned within one week, stating she was seeking assurances the aviation support systems are up to the task.
Government Actions and Industry Calls for Accountability
Following the incident, budget carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air demanded NATS CEO Martin Rolfe’s resignation after two
major outages in three years. Ryanair’s COO Neal McMahon criticized Rolfe’s leadership, citing repeated failures. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander granted NATS seven days to complete a comprehensive inquiry. The disruption has intensified scrutiny over the resilience of the UK air traffic control infrastructure and leadership.
