UK air traffic control outage: Nearly 2,000 flights cancelled

The air traffic control problem in the UK is likely to take more time to be resolved, with the number of flights cancelled due to the disruption reportedly shooting up to nearly 2000 on Wednesday (September 9).

According to a BBC report, citing aviation analytics firm Cirium, over 1,750 flights were cancelled on Tuesday (September 8), and 153 more were added to the list on Wednesday.

The report stated that the outage is being attributed to the air traffic control provider Nats adding that its chief, Martin Rolfe, has issued an apology in this regard.

Air traffic control provider under pressure

Rolfe said that a comprehensive probe would be launched into the issue after the organisation admitted that it had taken "longer than hoped" to resolve it.

Expressing displeasure over the outage, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the situation as "frankly unacceptable", adding that Rolfe had been summoned by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander seeking an explanation for the disruption.

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The Transport Secretary is scheduled to address the House of Commons during the day regarding the disruptions and is reportedly expected to tell the MPs a cyber-attack was "categorically" not the cause of the problem.

Flights disrupted across UK and Ireland

Passengers have been advised to continue checking with their airlines as it could take some time before flights return to normal. Heathrow has asked passengers to travel to the airport only if they have a confirmed flight operating.

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The disruption has also affected flights outside the UK. With only a limited number of aircraft able to take off, landings were restricted, leaving some flights unable to depart from overseas airports.

Airports in Ireland also reported disruption, while EasyJet cancelled 200 flights and British Airways cancelled more than 100.

Earlier outages raise questions

The latest problem is not the first outage involving Nats. In 2023, a computer shutdown during the August bank holiday weekend caused disruption for 700,000 passengers. An engineer who could not fix the fault from home took three hours to reach work.

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A smaller Nats outage in 2025 resulted in 150 cancellations. Ryanair and Wizz Air have called for changes to the Nats system. Wizz Air said it was "not fit for purpose" in its current form.

Wizz Air calls for Nats chief to go

Yvonne Moynihan, managing director of Wizz Air UK, again called on Nats chief Martin Rolfe to consider his position.

"I think in any position where you've had three failures, you need to consider three strikes, and you’re out," she told the BBC.

Asked about his position, Rolfe said there would be "lots of time for that later", while his immediate focus remained on resolving the problem.