Several major UK airports are continuing to experience delays and cancellations following a major air traffic control technical failure on Tuesday 8 September. The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has now resolved the issue, which affected its flight processing system, but the disruption is expected to continue into Wednesday as airlines and airports work through the backlog.
NATs boss Martin Rolfe has apologised for the disruption, telling the BBC there would be a full investigation into what had gone wrong, after the firm said resolving the issue had taken “longer than hoped”. An official statement on the NATs website reads: “This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover.”
The failure caused widespread disruption across the UK on Tuesday, with FlightRadar24 reporting around 1,300 cancellations to and from UK airports. Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted were among the airports affected, while the disruption also had knock-on effects at airports across Europe.
Heathrow was particularly impacted. Arrivals were suspended for the remainder of Tuesday, while departures resumed later in the day. The airport has warned that disruption will continue and is advising passengers to check directly with their airline before travelling. A statement on the airport’s X account on Wednesday morning reads: “Following yesterday’s NATS technical issue, flights are operating today, but some disruption may continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew. Please check your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport and only travel if your flight is confirmed to be operating.”
FlightRadar24 is currently reporting that 177 flights scheduled for Wednesday 9 September have already been cancelled, with the vast majority at Heathrow, while further delays and cancellations are expected as aircraft and crew displaced by Tuesday’s disruption are repositioned.
Passengers should check the status of their flight directly with their airline and monitor the NATS website and X account for further updates.
UK airports reporting disruption include:
- London Heathrow Airport
- London Gatwick Airport
- London Luton Airport
- London Stansted Airport
- Manchester Airport
- Birmingham Airport
- Belfast City Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- East Midlands Airport
- Jersey Airport