UK flight disruption caused by an air traffic control system fault is expected to clear on Thursday, with Cirium forecasting no cancellations after more than 2,000 flights were scrapped since the fault hit on Tuesday. The chief executive of National Air Traffic Services, Martin Rolfe, has faced calls to quit, and the government has given him a week to explain the technical failure, while Michael O'Leary of Ryanair has branded his position "untenable". Separately, Primark's owner Associated British Foods confirmed the retailer will begin offering UK home delivery, a shift from its previous stance that low price points made this uneconomical.

A total of 2,145 flights were cancelled or delayed over Tuesday and Wednesday, with 399 cancelled on Wednesday alone; British Airways was worst hit, with 88 of its 507 scheduled Wednesday departures affected, and the airline apologised, saying the issue was "entirely out of our control". On Primark, ABF cited the retailer's "digital maturity" and the success of its Click + Collect service as justifying the move, and it has acquired an automated warehouse in Sheffield to support it; the wider demerger of Primark from ABF's food businesses remains on track for completion in December 2027. Elsewhere, Brent crude held above $100 a barrel amid Middle East tensions and falling Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic, Asian markets fell broadly, US Treasury yields stayed near three-year highs, and the European Central Bank was expected to raise rates by a quarter point.