On September 8, 2026, nearly 300 flights were cancelled across major UK airports due to a technical issue disrupting the air traffic control departure processing system, Flightradar24 and National Air Traffic Services (NATS) reported. The cancellations and delays affected operations at airports including Heathrow, Stansted, City Airport London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Scotland.
NATS Response and System Recovery
NATS engineers urgently addressed the technical problem and announced they had implemented a fix. The UK air traffic control authority stated their flight system was starting to recover and issued an apology for the disruptions.
Airlines and Affected Flights
Major airlines impacted included British Airways, EasyJet, KLM, and Lufthansa. EasyJet confirmed some
flights were “unable to operate” and that the system failure caused delays across Europe. Heathrow Airport’s website showed many short-haul European flights were cancelled or delayed, although arriving flights at Heathrow were not apparently affected.
Passenger Impact and Airport Disruptions
Passengers faced cancellations and extended delays, requiring rebooking and longer wait times. They were advised to check flight status directly with their airlines. The disruption created operational challenges across multiple UK airports.
