A technical glitch with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight processing system on September 8, 2026, led to widespread disruption and cancellations across UK airports. Major hubs like Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted were significantly affected, with many flights delayed or canceled. The problem, identified in the flight processing system, caused departures from London airports to be most severely impacted.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported 1,300 cancellations to and from UK airports on the first day of the disruption, followed by 177 cancellations on the subsequent day. Nearly all the latter cancellations were at Heathrow, London's busiest airport. Budget airline Ryanair stated that over 65,000 of its passengers were disrupted, leading to the cancellation of more than 50 of its scheduled flights.
Although NATS stated it had resolved the glitch, the recovery process was complex, and disruption was expected to continue. Heathrow airport confirmed departures had resumed but warned of ongoing issues, advising passengers to check with their airlines. British Airways also noted a "significant knock-on impact" affecting tens of thousands of its customers. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was scheduled to meet NATS boss Martin Rolfe to seek assurances and discuss lessons learned from the incident, with Ryanair COO Neal McMahon reiterating calls for Rolfe's resignation.
