UK airports hit by air traffic control failure, over 200 flights cancelled

ilsole24ore.com (Italian) — September 8, 2026 at 05:01 PM UTC

A technical failure in NATS, the UK's main air traffic control provider, caused major disruption at British airports on Tuesday, leading to over 200 flight cancellations. Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted were among the hardest hit, with restrictions on departures and arrivals. The issue also affected Dublin Airport in Ireland, while easyJet, operating mainly from Gatwick, said some flights were unable to operate. NATS identified the problem in its flight processing system and stated engineers were working urgently to restore normal operations, though airspace remained open. Other affected airports include London City, Birmingham, Jersey, Cardiff, and several Scottish hubs like Edinburgh and Glasgow. Heathrow, the UK's primary hub, said it was in contact with NATS to help resolve the issue, with full recovery expected to take time.

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