On September 8 and 9, 2026, over 1,750 flights across at least 15 UK airports were cancelled due to a critical failure in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight processing system. The disruption affected major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, and several airports in Scotland, causing widespread delays extending beyond the UK.
National Air Traffic Services confirmed the outage was caused by “an issue in our flight processing system,” which has since been resolved. This marks the second major air traffic control system failure in the UK in three years, following a severe meltdown in 2023, raising concerns
about the system’s reliability and operational resilience.
Official Responses to the NATS Failure
Martin Rolfe, head of NATS, apologized for the disruption and affirmed that safety remains the system’s top priority. Rolfe said flights are only cancelled when issues cannot be resolved swiftly, emphasizing, “Our job is also to make sure that people stay safe.” He added, “We never do this lightly. We only ever do it when there is an issue that cannot be resolved quickly, and we have to take action to make (sure) those who are flying, who are in the air at that time, are safe.”
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned
Rolfe for a meeting to seek assurances that lessons will be learned and that aviation support systems will be improved. Alexander stated, “I am seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and systems that support aviation are up to the job.”
Heathrow Airport, the UK’s busiest hub, advised passengers to “only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating” amid the disruptions. The airport deployed additional staff to terminals to assist travelers and is collaborating with NATS and airlines to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.
Airline Reactions and Demands
Budget carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air publicly called for Martin Rolfe’s resignation
following the outage. Ryanair reported that more than 65,000 passengers were disrupted and that it cancelled over 50 scheduled flights due to the failure. Neal McMahon, Ryanair Chief Operating Officer, criticized Rolfe, stating, “How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?”
EasyJet confirmed that some of its flights were unable to operate and that delays affected flights across Europe, further highlighting the system’s impact beyond the UK.
Passenger Impact and Airport Measures
The failure left thousands of passengers stranded for hours on airport runways and inside terminals. Delays and
cancellations affected major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, and airports in Scotland. Airlines scrambled to rebook passengers and reposition aircraft displaced by the cancellations.
Heathrow and other affected airports consistently advised travelers to verify their flight status before heading to the airport. The disruption caused significant operational challenges as airlines and airport authorities worked to clear the backlog while supporting stranded passengers on site.
