Technical failure in the UK causes flight cancellations and delays
In the United Kingdom on September 8, a technical failure in the system of air traffic service provider NATS caused flight cancellations and delays at major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted. According to The National, the consequences of the problem also affected air travel in other parts of the country and Europe.
Delays and cancellations
According to FlightAware, around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport, while another 367 were delayed. At Gatwick, approximately 250 flights were delayed — nearly one-third of the total.
Flightradar24 reported that aircraft arrivals and departures in the London Flight Information Region were being regulated due to the technical issue. Edinburgh Airport also said its operations could be affected. Delays or cancellations were recorded at Luton, Birmingham, Aberdeen and Glasgow airports.
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Dublin Airport in Ireland warned that delays could affect flights arriving at and departing from the airport. British Airways reported disruptions to its schedule, while EasyJet said there were delays in various European countries.
System recovery
NATS said it had implemented a fix, after which the system began to recover. The company warned that resolving the consequences would take several hours. Airspace remained open, and aircraft continued to depart.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander apologised to passengers and acknowledged that the situation would be unpleasant for them. In 2024, the UK aviation regulator urged NATS to review its contingency plans following a failure in the automated processing of flight plans a year earlier. At the time, airline executives estimated the cost of refunds and compensation at more than £100 million.
