London: Flight delays are expected to continue across the UK on September 9 following an air traffic control fault at NATS (National Air Traffic Services), the UK’s air navigation service provider, which disrupted operations and led to hundreds of cancellations.
Tens of thousands of passengers were affected after a technical glitch hit NATS’ flight data processing system. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported that up to 1,000 flights were cancelled during the disruption.
NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe apologised for the disruption and said the organisation would conduct a full investigation into the incident. NATS stated that resolving the problem had taken longer than expected.
ℹ️ Technical issue
Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today's disruption. This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover. (1/2) https://t.co/Me6GAY385V— NATS (@NATS) September 8, 2026
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to meet Rolfe on September 9 to seek answers about the disruption and the response to the incident.
The technical problem affected departures across the UK and had knock-on effects on arrivals. With fewer aircraft able to depart, airports faced restrictions on incoming flights, leaving some aircraft unable to leave overseas airports.
Major airports affected
The disruption extended beyond England, with airports in Scotland and Ireland also reporting delays and cancellations. EasyJet cancelled around 200 flights, while British Airways cancelled more than 100.
Heathrow Airport, one of Europe’s busiest airports, temporarily paused departures around lunchtime before operations resumed and were disrupted again later in the afternoon.
The airport subsequently faced limited capacity for arriving aircraft, with 13 Heathrow-bound flights diverted to airports in the UK and Europe. FlightRadar24 identified Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham among the airports most affected.
British Airways warned passengers of knock-on effects and advised those whose flights had been cancelled not to travel to the airport. Airports across the country also urged passengers to check their flight status with airlines before setting out.
Ryanair stated that more than 65,000 passengers had experienced delays of up to eight hours, while affected passengers were being notified of changes to their flights.
Backlog could prolong delays
Although NATS noted that the technical issue had been resolved, further disruption is expected as airlines and airports work through the resulting backlog.
NATS Chief Executive highlighted that the problem involved its flight data processing system and was separate from the system failure that caused major disruption during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2023.
The system processes flight plans and other operational information used by air traffic controllers. It also continuously updates aircraft information as flights move through UK airspace, helping controllers manage the safe and orderly flow of traffic.
The incident has renewed calls from airlines for changes to NATS’ systems and operations. Wizz Air criticised the organisation’s performance, while Ryanair called for an overhaul.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added that it would take time for flight operations to fully return to normal and urged passengers to continue checking with their airlines.
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