UK air traffic control fault cancels 1,100 flights

A technical fault in Britain's air traffic control flight-processing system on Tuesday forced roughly 1,100 flight cancellations to and from UK airports.

• A fault in Nats' flight-processing system caused roughly 1,100 flight cancellations at British airports on Tuesday.
• Nats said it implemented a fix by evening and operations returned to normal, with delays extending across 15 airports in the UK and abroad.
• Nats chief Martin Rolfe said a full investigation into the fault will be conducted.
• Egypt's airport company said flights at Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh were affected and it is coordinating with airlines to arrange accommodation for affected passengers.

Latest developments

• Sep 9 — FlightRadar24 reported that Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham airports were the worst hit, with up to 1,000 cancellations.
• Sep 9 — Nats CEO Martin Rolfe apologised, while Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has summoned him to a meeting over the fault.
• Sep 9 — The company clarified the fault affected the flight data processing system, not the one that failed in 2023.