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Wed, 09 Sep 2026

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 More flight delays expected after hundreds cancelled by air traffic control glitch

Departures from a number of airports are affected by a technical problem affecting air traffic control provider Nats.
Flight disruptions are expected to continue on Wednesday after an air traffic control issue caused hundreds of cancellations across the UK, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. The glitch affected Nats, the air traffic control provider, which apologized for the disruption and promised a full investigation. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Nats' boss Martin Rolfe for a meeting to answer questions about the incident. EasyJet canceled 200 flights, while British Airways canceled over 100, with many more experiencing delays. Ryanair reported that over 65,000 passengers had been delayed by up to eight hours. The issue was not isolated to the UK, with airports in Scotland and Ireland also reporting disruptions. Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest in Europe, paused departures at lunchtime due to the issue, causing further disruptions in the afternoon. Nats' flight data processing system was affected, which processes flight plans and other operational information used by air traffic controllers. The system's failure caused a backlog, leading to continued delays even after the issue was resolved. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander advised passengers to check their airline's website for updates on their flights and reassured them that lessons would be learned from the incident. Passengers who had their flights canceled were advised not to travel to the airport and to contact their airlines for further information.