Passengers stranded as UK air traffic control outage disrupts flights
Hundreds of UK flights are delayed or cancelled after a national air traffic control system failure, with Heathrow and other major airports heavily disrupted.
Updated: 09/09/2026 - 15:30 GMT+2
Hundreds of UK flights are delayed or cancelled after a national air traffic control system failure, with Heathrow and other major airports heavily disrupted.
Passengers rest on the floor and queue at Heathrow Airport as flight disruptions continue following a technical issue with the UK's air traffic control system. Departure boards show delays and cancellations while aircraft remain on the tarmac.
Airports across the UK reported disruptions to departing flights on Tuesday, with nearly 300 cancellations recorded by Flightradar24. The problem affected several airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, and caused disruption at Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and airports across Scotland.
The UK's National Air Traffic Services said engineers were working urgently to resolve an issue with its flight processing system. The service warned that restoring normal operations would take time and advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline.