A technical fault at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) Prestwick Air Traffic Control Centre in South Ayrshire on Monday, 21 September 2026, disrupted flights across Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland. More than 200 flights were delayed or cancelled as a result of the issue affecting air traffic operations over these regions.
Flight Disruptions and Capacity Reduction
The incident caused a 60% reduction in capacity through Scottish-controlled airspace, impacting flights including transatlantic departures, which saw capacity fall by approximately 40%. EasyJet cancelled over 20 flights due to the disruption, while British Airways and KLM also reported affected services. Ryanair experienced delays on more than
140 flights, affecting over 25,000 passengers.
Nature of the Fault and Resolution
NATS identified the fault as a connectivity issue within the systems network specific to Scotland operations, unrelated to the earlier 8 September software defect that caused over 2,000 flight cancellations and delays. The technical problem was resolved by about 10:30 BST. A NATS spokesperson said, “The issue in our Prestwick centre is now fixed. We are working with airports and airlines to safely lift air traffic regulations as quickly as we can to minimise any further disruption.”
Airport and Airline Impact
Flights departing from or arriving at Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Manchester Airport, Newcastle Airport, and Belfast City
Airport were affected, with cancellations and delays reported. Manchester Airports Group noted delays of up to an hour for some services at Manchester Airport and delays at East Midlands Airport. Belfast City Airport cancelled several flights including routes to Manchester, Amsterdam, London City, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. Regional airports such as Dundee and Benbecula also experienced disruptions, as did the 11 airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports.
Official and Airline Responses
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the problems as “deeply frustrating for passengers after the previous issue”. Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney commented, “We’ll engage with the national air traffic control service to
ensure that these issues are addressed and that the resilience necessary for these systems is available at all times.” Ryanair called for the resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, criticizing the recurrence of failures and hunger for reliable service. Jet2’s CEO Steve Heapy also condemned the repeated system failures, stating, “Customers work hard to look forward to their holidays, and airlines work hard to deliver those holidays. They should not be repeatedly exposed to delays and disruption because the UK’s air traffic control systems cannot be relied upon.” British Airways described the disruption as “disappointing” and noted it was caused
by “yet another technical fault with NATS.” NATS CEO Martin Rolfe declined to step down, referring to the previous software defect as “very, very obscure.”
