# UK air traffic control problem strands hundreds of thousands of passengers

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/uk-air-traffic-control-problem-strands-hundreds-of-thousands-of-passengers/
- Published: 2026-09-09T06:57:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-09T13:18:34+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/08/air-traffic-control-issue-flights-delays-disruption-uk
- Topics: Business, Culture, Travel, UK, World

## Key points

- Nats technical fault grounded UK flights, causing 1,000+ cancellations across two days.
- Third major Nats stoppage in three years; airlines demand a system overhaul.
- Heathrow worst affected; Ryanair, easyJet and BA passengers hit widely.

## Summary

UK air traffic control provider Nats suffered a "technical issue" on Tuesday that grounded flights for hours, causing more than 1,000 cancellations and delays to hundreds of thousands of passengers, with disruption continuing into Wednesday. It was Britain's third major air traffic control stoppage in just over three years, prompting fresh calls from airlines for an overhaul of the system, while Nats warned that the "very complex recovery" would take time to work through.

The fault began around 1pm on Tuesday, initially hitting departures at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted before spreading to arrivals across southern England; Heathrow suspended arrivals for the rest of the night even after departures resumed. Nats said it fixed its flight processing system by 4.40pm, but by around 8pm over 1,000 flights had been cancelled, with at least 177 more affecting Wednesday's schedule, mostly at Heathrow. Ryanair reported 65,000 delayed passengers and 50 cancelled flights, easyJet said the disruption spread across Europe, and British Airways offered free rebooking until Friday. Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe said the company took "full responsibility" and was to brief transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who was due to address MPs on the civil aviation bill.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: UK air traffic control problem strands hundreds of thousands of passengers](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/08/air-traffic-control-issue-flights-delays-disruption-uk)
- [Daily Mail: Hundreds more flights cancelled today as passengers brace for second day of chaos after air traffic control meltdown - as NATS boss faces pressure to quit](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16116543/Hundreds-flights-cancelled-passengers-travel-chaos.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.