On September 8, 2026, nearly 300 flights were cancelled across major UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, and Birmingham due to a technical failure in the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight data processing system. The failure disrupted air traffic control services nationwide, restricting departing flights and grounding aircraft at 15 airports across the UK, including some in Scotland and Ireland.
Airlines Report Hundreds of Flight Cancellations and Delays
EasyJet cancelled 200 flights, while British Airways cancelled more than 100 flights and confirmed the cancellation or diversion of over 100 flights, urging customers with cancelled flights not to travel to airports. Ryanair reported delays of up to
eight hours affecting over 65,000 passengers. Thirteen Heathrow-bound flights were diverted to other UK and European airports. Passengers like Phil White, waiting on the Gatwick tarmac, reported being grounded due to radar outages. Chloe Davis, 18, from Cambridgeshire, delayed on a Virgin Atlantic flight scheduled to depart Heathrow at 13:40 BST, said she was not concerned but wanted information as planes were parked on taxiways with limited gate availability.
Operational Impact at Heathrow Airport
Departures at Heathrow Airport were paused around lunchtime before resuming and then facing further disruptions later on September 8. The disruption caused build-up of grounded planes occupying taxiways and gates, limiting
available space for arriving flights. This restriction on arrivals compounded delays and forced the diversion of incoming flights, disrupting both departures and arrivals.
Official Statements and Ongoing Investigation
NATS CEO Martin Rolfe apologized and confirmed the problem took longer to resolve than expected. He promised a full investigation focusing on resolving the underlying problem. A British Airways spokesperson said, “We were forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday afternoon” and, “We’re doing everything we can to keep our customers updated and make arrangements for them to continue their journeys.” UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it will take time to fully
resume flights and urged passengers to continue checking with airlines. She called for assurances that lessons would be learned and scheduled a meeting with NATS leadership for a detailed explanation.
NATS Flight Data System Failure and Industry Context
The disruption was caused by a failure in NATS’s flight data processing system, which manages flight plans and real-time operational flight data crucial for air traffic controllers. This incident differs from the August Bank Holiday 2023 system failure. Grounded departures reduced available space for arrivals, causing airport congestion. NATS is the UK’s air traffic control provider responsible for flight plan processing. Airlines including Ryanair and Wizz Air have previously called
for a comprehensive overhaul of NATS, with Wizz Air describing it as “not fit for purpose” in its current form.
