Heathrow and Gatwick among airports hit by air traffic control problems

Heathrow and Gatwick among airports hit by air traffic control problems. Departures from a number of airports have been affected by a technical problem affecting air traffic control provider Nats.

What happened

According to FlightRadar, the worst affected airports are Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Image source, Getty ImagesByTheo LeggettBusiness CorrespondentPublished8 September 2026, 15:33 BSTUpdated 7 minutes agoHundreds of flights into and out of the UK have been cancelled following a technical problem affecting the air traffic control provider Nats. Europe's busiest airline, Ryanair, earlier reported that more than 65,000 passengers had been delayed by up to eight hoursAt Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in Europe, departures were initially paused around lunchtime.

Thirteen Heathrow-bound flights were diverted to other airports in the UK and Europe. According to Nats, the flight processing system processes flight plans and other operational information used by air traffic controllers to manage air traffic. The system continually updates flight information as aircraft progress through UK airspace, helping controllers maintain a safe and orderly flow of traffic. "It's comfortable enough but the pilots been on every 20 minutes saying they are waiting for information from air traffic control and when he finds anything out he will let us know.

The wider picture

With few aircraft able to take off, it is understood landings are being restricted, leading to some flights being prevented from departing from overseas airports. The fault was widespread across the UK, and beyond, with airports in Scotland and Ireland also reporting disruption. Traffic then resumed, before facing further disruption in the afternoon. "Airports across the UK said they were experiencing cancellations and delays and advised people to check their flight details before travelling. Phil White from Bexhill told BBC Your Voice that his flight to Lanzarote boarded on time but has been sitting on the tarmac at Gatwick for hours.

"It is not the first time disruption has blighted Nats's control system. Chloe Davis,18, from Cambridgeshire is sitting on a Virgin plane at Heathrow waiting to fly to Orlando. Contact formContact formRelated topicsAir travelTravelLondon Heathrow AirportLondon Stansted AirportEast Midlands AirportBelfast International Airport

What has been reported

At least 1,000 flights in or out of the country have been cancelled, according to tracking website FlightRadar24. EasyJet has made 200 cancellations and British Airways has made more than 100. Nats said on Tuesday evening that its flight systems were starting to recover. It is understood that the airport ran out of space for incoming flights during the afternoon because planes had not been departing. Image source, ReutersPassengers have been advised to contact their airlines to check the status of their flights.

British Airways said in a statement that it was anticipating knock-on effects. "We were forced to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday afternoon," a spokesperson said. "We're doing everything we can to keep our customers updated and make arrangements for them to continue their journeys.

What happens next

"We ask customers whose flights have been cancelled not to travel to the airport and to bear with us if they're trying to get in touch, as our call centres are incredibly busy at the moment. The site said approximately 4% of UK flights have been cancelled or delayed as a result of the issue. Ryanair said affected passengers would be notified. Knock-on effects as backlog buildsEven if Nats has resolved the issue with its flight processing system, the disruption is likely to persist due to backlogs.

Although the technical issue affected departures, arrivals were also hit as space on the ground became increasingly restricted. As a result there is now a backlog of flights because some planes across Europe are in the wrong place. Nats apologised for the delays caused and advised passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline, adding that it would provide updates on www. nats. aero and X.