UK air traffic control glitch disrupts more than 1,000 flights
The "technical issue" in the flight processing system of air traffic control provider Nats began at around 1 p.m. Nats identified and applied a fix by 4:40 p.m., but the four-hour disruption left a significant backlog across the aviation network
A technical glitch in Britain's air traffic control system stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers and forced the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights across the country on Tuesday, disrupting operations at major airports and causing knock-on effects across Europe.
The "technical issue" in the flight processing system of air traffic control provider Nats began at around 1 p.m. Nats identified and applied a fix by 4:40 p.m., but the four-hour disruption left a significant backlog across the aviation network, says The Guardian.
Major hubs including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham were affected, along with regional airports such as Edinburgh and Belfast. Heathrow suspended all arriving flights for the remainder of Tuesday night.
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British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights, affecting tens of thousands of customers. The airline said operational knock-on effects were expected to continue through at least Wednesday.
Ryanair reported more than 65,000 delayed passengers and 50 cancelled flights, while easyJet, KLM, Eurowings and Wizz Air also experienced significant cancellations and delays. The disruption also affected inbound flights across Europe.
Repeated failures draw industry criticism
Tuesday's disruption was the third major UK air traffic control failure in just over three years, following outages in August 2023 and July 2025.
Nats said Tuesday's failure was an isolated fault and was distinct from the previous outages.
Nats Chief Executive Martin Rolfe apologised publicly and said the organisation took full responsibility for the disruption.
Ryanair called for Rolfe's resignation, while Wizz Air said Nats was "simply not fit for purpose in its current form".
Government seeks assurances
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said technicians had resolved the issue and apologised to passengers affected by the disruption.
Alexander said she would seek assurances that the systems supporting Britain's aviation network were fit for purpose.
The disruption is expected to have effects beyond Tuesday as airlines and airports work to clear the backlog and restore normal schedules.
