A technical failure in NATS’ flight processing system on September 8, 2026, disrupted air traffic across the United Kingdom. Engineers were deployed immediately to resolve the problem and restore normal operations.
Airports Impacted and Flight Disruptions
Major UK airports affected include Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Southend. Delays and cancellations were reported widely, with Stansted and Southend airports experiencing hundreds of disrupted departing flights.
Operational Impact on Departures and Arrivals
Departure restrictions were especially severe across the UK network, leading to significant outbound flight delays. Inbound flights saw disruptions too, with many held or diverted within the London Flight Information Region. Eurocontrol declared Heathrow unavailable for arrivals between 14:00
and 16:00 UTC due to the incident.
Responses from Authorities and Airlines
NATS confirmed, “We have identified that the issue was in our flight processing system,” adding, “Our engineers are on site and working urgently to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.” British Airways acknowledged some of its flights were affected and said efforts are underway to reinstate passenger travel plans. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 recorded heavy regulation on arrivals and departures at the affected airports.
Additional disruptions extended to Belfast City, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton, East Midlands, and Jersey airports, as well as flights serving Dublin controlled within UK airspace. Despite the delays, UK
airspace remains open with regulated traffic flow.
Passengers at Stansted and Southend have been advised to expect ongoing delays on departing flights as recovery continues into the evening hours.
This technical failure follows previous UK air traffic control infrastructure incidents, including the August 2023 flight plan system issue that led to over 1,600 flight cancellations affecting more than 700,000 passengers, and a radar-related failure in July 2025. Manchester Airports Group also experienced a cyberattack in August 2026, although no link to the current NATS failure has been confirmed.
