UK Flights Disrupted by Air Traffic Control Glitch

Hundreds of flights were cancelled or significantly delayed across the United Kingdom on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, following a major technical issue with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight processing system. The disruption, which began in the early afternoon, affected departures from major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester, and had cascading effects on flights across Britain and parts of Europe. By late Tuesday afternoon, reports indicated that over 600 flights had been cancelled, with tens of thousands of passengers facing lengthy delays and disrupted travel plans. Ryanair alone reported that more than 65,000 of its passengers were delayed, with over 50 of its flights cancelled. EasyJet and British Airways also confirmed significant impacts on their operations. NATS announced at approximately 1:46 PM that it was investigating a technical issue causing disruption to flight departures. Engineers later identified the problem within its flight processing system and implemented a fix around 4:40 PM. However, the provider cautioned that the system was only beginning to recover and that normal operations would take time to restore.