Over 1,000 Flights Cancelled Across UK After Air Traffic Control Technical Failure

London, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across Britain after a technical failure in the country’s air traffic control system disrupted operations at major airports, triggering widespread delays and cancellations.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages air traffic control across the UK, said it had identified a technical problem with its flight processing system. The failure affected departures at airports across the country and caused significant disruption to flight schedules.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, major airports including Heathrow, Edinburgh and Manchester were among those affected. An analysis of Flightradar24 data by local media indicated that more than 1,000 flights had been cancelled across Britain by Tuesday night.

NATS later said engineers had implemented a technical fix and that the system issue had been resolved. However, the organisation warned that restoring normal operations and clearing the backlog of flights would take longer than initially expected.

“Our system issue is now resolved. We are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights,” NATS said.

Flightradar24 reported that arrivals and departures were being regulated across the London Flight Information Region because of the technical problem, contributing to delays throughout the aviation network.

The disruption was not confined to London. Airports in Birmingham, Luton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh also reported delays and cancellations. Edinburgh Airport warned passengers that the air traffic control issue could affect scheduled flights.

The impact also extended beyond Britain, with Dublin Airport saying flights arriving from and departing for Britain were being disrupted.

Heathrow Airport said it was coordinating closely with NATS to minimise the impact on passengers and flight schedules. British Airways also confirmed that it was experiencing disruption due to the failure affecting the national air traffic control system.