Air traffic control issue causes flight delays and disruption across UK

By the Editorial Team · Wednesday, September 9, 2026

A technical fault in the UK’s air traffic control system caused widespread delays and cancellations affecting departures from major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester. Authorities, including Nats and airport officials, are actively working to resolve the issue, which is expected to persist through the evening, while passengers are urged to check flight updates with their airlines.

A technical problem with the UK’s air traffic control system has caused significant delays and disruption across several major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, Manchester, Belfast City, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. The issue was first reported early Tuesday afternoon and has particularly affected departures from London airports.

Nats, the company responsible for providing air traffic control services in the UK, announced at 1:46 p.m. that it was investigating a technical fault that was delaying some flight departures. Engineers were deployed to the site to address the problem, and the company advised passengers to check their flight status with their airlines while apologizing for the inconvenience.

Heathrow Airport, the UK’s busiest, confirmed that planes were still arriving, but noted that Eurocontrol—the European organization responsible for coordinating air traffic—had reported some incoming flights being held at airports outside the UK due to the disruption. Airport officials said the problem was expected to continue until the evening. Heathrow stated it was supporting Nats in resolving the issue and urged travelers to monitor communications for updated information.

Most flights scheduled to depart Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and London City airports from around 2 p.m. onward were delayed or had yet to take off when the disruption occurred. Manchester Airport also reported affected services. Heathrow’s online flight tracker showed multiple cancellations for afternoon departures.

British Airways acknowledged that it was experiencing delays and said it was maintaining contact with impacted customers. Belfast City Airport warned of some disruption to arriving and departing flights linked to the Nats technical difficulty.

A spokesperson at Birmingham Airport apologized for the disruption and advised passengers to arrive according to their airline’s check-in requirements and to seek updates directly from their carriers. Edinburgh Airport also confirmed it was aware of the situation and that the issue could affect its operations.

The technical fault continues to impact UK air traffic, with authorities working to restore normal services as quickly as possible.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.