A technical fault in the UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight processing system on 8 September 2026 caused extensive flight delays and cancelled more than 1,000 flights across over 15 UK airports. The disruption began around 1pm BST and primarily affected departing flights.
Major Airports Impacted by the Disruption
Among the airports directly affected were London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Departures from these major hubs were delayed, and Heathrow Airport suspended incoming flights for the rest of the night following the incident.
Airlines Report Flight Cancellations and Passenger Delays
Flight monitoring source Flightradar24 recorded cancellations by 5pm BST including 137 by easyJet, 111 by British Airways, 26 by
KLM, 22 by Eurowings, and 21 by Ryanair. British Airways alone canceled or diverted over 100 flights on the afternoon of 8 September. Ryanair reported 50 flights canceled and said 65,000 passengers experienced delays due to the fault.
Fault Resolution and Recovery Timeline
NATS identified and implemented a fix at 4:40pm BST, nearly four hours after the fault began. The agency noted the recovery was complex and would require significant time to restore normal operations fully. The fault was confirmed to be different from previous outages in 2023 and 2025.
Passenger Impact and Ongoing Disruption
Thousands of passengers experienced delays and cancellations well into the evening of 8 September. Flights
inbound to southern England were also disrupted, with some inbound European flights held abroad. British Airways announced the disruption would continue through at least 9 September and offered free rebooking until 11 September. Heathrow resumed departures with restrictions but halted arrivals for the rest of the night.
Official Statements and Industry Responses
NATS CEO Martin Rolfe accepted full responsibility, expressing sympathies to affected passengers. He stated, “We absolutely take responsibility for this,” and acknowledged the frustration for travelers. A NATS spokesperson apologized and urged passengers to check with airlines as recovery efforts continued. British Airways called the incident “entirely out of our control and incredibly
frustrating,” while Ryanair’s COO Neal McMahon demanded NATS leadership changes, calling the failure “abhorrent.” Wizz Air condemned NATS as “not fit for purpose.” UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander apologized and confirmed technicians had identified and were fixing the fault, emphasizing the need for system improvements.
Background on NATS Disruptions and Calls for Reform
This incident marks the third major technical disruption tied to NATS systems within just over three years. Previous major events include a full airspace grounding in August 2023 that led to a parliamentary inquiry. Airlines have renewed calls for an overhaul of NATS leadership and UK air traffic control systems following the repeated failures.
