Over 1,000 flights were cancelled across UK airports by about 8pm on Tuesday 8 September 2026, with disruption continuing into Wednesday 9 September when at least 177 more flights, mostly at London Heathrow Airport, were also cancelled. London Heathrow faced the brunt of the cancellations amid widespread delays affecting major UK airports.
Timeline and Duration of Disruption
The disruption began around 1pm on Tuesday 8 September 2026 when National Air Traffic Services (Nats) detected a technical fault in its flight processing system. The failure lasted nearly four hours until around 4:40pm, when the system was fixed. Despite the repair, the impact on flight schedules extended
well into the following day due to accumulated delays and cancellations.
Affected Airports and Flight Operations
The system fault caused delays and cancellations at several major UK airports including London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Departures at Heathrow resumed late on Tuesday, although with ongoing disruptions. Heathrow airport suspended all arrivals for the remainder of Tuesday night. Flights inbound to southern England were also affected, forcing some aircraft to be held at airports abroad, as reported by Eurocontrol.
Airline Impact and Passenger Delays
British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights on Tuesday alone, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. A spokesperson said the incident was
“entirely out of our control” and caused a significant knock-on impact. Ryanair reported over 50 flight cancellations and delays affecting more than 65,000 passengers. The disruption led to logistical challenges involving aircraft and crews displaced across the UK and Europe.
Cause of Disruption and Official Responses
Nats attributed the disruption to a technical issue in their flight processing system and ruled out a cyber attack as the cause. This fault was distinct from previous failures in 2023 and 2025. Nats CEO Martin Rolfe took full responsibility, stating, “We absolutely take responsibility for this. We never want this sort of thing to happen. I completely understand how
frustrating it is for passengers.” He described the recovery as “very complex” and emphasized ongoing efforts to work closely with airlines and airports to clear the backlog.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe for a briefing on the incident and expressed that she is “seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and systems that support aviation are up to the job.” The UK Civil Aviation Authority has demanded a full report from Nats to determine the need for reforms in the air traffic control system.
Passenger Impact and Industry Criticism
Passengers faced widespread cancellations, delays, and rescheduling, particularly at London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and
Stansted airports. British Airways offered free rebooking for affected passengers until Friday. The disruption stranded many travelers, some held on inbound flights abroad.
Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer Neal McMahon condemned Nats’ repeated failures and called for Rolfe’s resignation, claiming families and visitors to the UK “have once again paid the price for Nats’ abhorrent failure.” Wizz Air labelled Nats as “not fit for purpose” following the incident. The disruption is Britain’s third major air traffic control stoppage in just over three years, with previous outages triggering parliamentary scrutiny and inquiries.
