[UK Air Traffic Control Outage Causes Over 1,000 Flight Cancellations]
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Published on 08/09/2026 – 22:00 GMT+2•Updated
22:27
Passengers travelling to and from the UK on Tuesday experienced severe disruption after a technical glitch compromised air traffic control systems.
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More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled to date, according to flight‑tracking service Flightradar24, with the outage affecting departure hubs including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham.
Air traffic control operator NATS reported a “technical issue” with its flight processing system and confirmed that engineers were on‑site working on a solution.
“Our system issue has been resolved; operations are now normal, and we are doing everything possible to clear the backlog of flights,” NATS announced on social media, also apologizing for the disruption.
The incident has also impacted flights at London Luton, London Stansted, Liverpool, and Edinburgh, as well as Dublin Airport in Ireland, among other locations.
Disruptions are expected to persist into the remainder of Tuesday, airports stated.
Heathrow later confirmed that arrivals at the airport had been suspended for the rest of the day to prioritize passenger and staff safety.
Departures resumed, though further delays remain anticipated.
Manchester Airport indicated that a full timetable could operate by Wednesday but cautioned that travel demand may exceed expectations due to many rescheduled flights.
Airports are urging travellers to verify schedules directly with their airlines.
On X, British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed pleasure at the resolution, crediting those who worked to restore services while calling for stronger safety measures going forward.
“It will take time to fully resume flights, so please continue to check with your airline.” She added: “I am seeking concrete assurances that lessons learned will be applied and that aviation support systems are robust enough to meet future demands.”