More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across 15 UK airports on October 25, 2026, after a failure in the National Air Traffic Services flight processing system caused widespread disruption.
Airports affected included Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City Airport in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and several Scottish airports. The disruption affected both arrivals and departures throughout the day, with the system problem resolved only in the evening, leaving a significant backlog of delayed flights to be cleared.
Airline-specific Flight Cancellations and Disruptions
British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights due to the air traffic control issue. Several of their passengers experienced delays, including one flight held
on the ground at Heathrow for four hours.
Ryanair cancelled over 50 scheduled flights and disrupted the travel plans of more than 65,000 passengers. One Ryanair flight departing Gatwick for Ireland was cancelled after passengers were stuck onboard for three hours.
EasyJet reported some of its flights were unable to operate, causing delays not just in the UK but across Europe.
Passenger Experiences and Airport Challenges
Passengers faced long delays, with some stranded aboard planes on runways and taxiways for hours. Baggage claim areas experienced chaos as no staff were available to assist, forcing travelers to file claims for lost or delayed luggage themselves.
At
Gatwick, passengers were advised not to travel without confirming their flight status in advance. Josie Donoghue, a Ryanair passenger stuck onboard at Gatwick, described the experience by saying, “Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz, It’s just an absolute nightmare down there. It’s the only word I can use to describe it.”
Official Statements and Resolution Timeline
A British Airways spokesperson described the incident as “entirely out of our control and incredibly frustrating for our customers and colleagues,” adding that “the severity of the issue means there will be a significant knock-on impact,” exacerbated by aircraft and crews being out
of position.
National Air Traffic Services resolved the flight processing system problem on the evening of October 25, 2026, but the aftereffects extended delays well into the night as airlines and airports worked to recover.
Ongoing Travel Impact and Airline Adjustments
Heathrow Airport suspended arrivals for the remainder of the night during the peak of the disruption but maintained departures. Airlines aggressively adjusted schedules to prevent network gridlock and managed a large backlog of delayed flights following the incident.
The disruptions at multiple major hubs across the UK continue to impact travel plans for thousands of passengers, with airports and airlines concentrating efforts on clearing delays
and resuming normal operations.
