More flight delays expected after hundreds cancelled by air traffic control glitch

Image source, ReutersByTheo Leggett, Business Correspondent and Katy Austin, Transport correspondentPublished8 September 2026Updated 59 minutes agoFlight delays are expected to continue on Wednesday after an air traffic control problem cancelled hundreds of flights across the UK.

Tens of thousands of passengers were affected by the disruption and tracking website FlightRadar24 said up to 1,000 flights were cancelled after a glitch affecting air traffic control provider Nats.

Its boss Martin Rolfe apologised, telling the BBC there would be a full investigation into what had gone wrong, after Nats said resolving the issue had taken "longer than hoped".

The BBC understands Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has summoned Rolfe to a meeting on Wednesday to answer questions about the disruption and response.

She is also expected to tell MPs that a cyber attack was "categorically" not the cause of the fault.

With few aircraft able to take off, it is understood landings were restricted, leading to some flights being unable to depart overseas airports.

The fault was widespread across the UK, and beyond, with airports in Scotland and Ireland also reporting disruption. EasyJet made 200 cancellations and British Airways more than 100.

It is not the first time disruption has blighted Nats' control system. Ryanair and Wizz Air called for an overhaul of the organisation, with Wizz Air saying Nats was "not fit for purpose" in its current form.

When asked whether he was considering his position, Rolfe said there would be "lots of time for that later" but his focus now was on making sure the problem was solved.

Europe's busiest airline, Ryanair, reported on Tuesday that more than 65,000 passengers had been delayed by up to eight hours.

At Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in Europe, departures were initially paused around lunchtime. Traffic then resumed, before facing further disruption in the afternoon.

It is understood the airport ran out of space for incoming flights during the afternoon because planes had not been departing.