Air traffic control failure causes flight disruptions across UK airports

On Monday, September 21, 2026, air traffic control provider NATS experienced a technical failure at its Prestwick center in Scotland, leading to significant flight delays across the United Kingdom. Airports including Manchester, Glasgow, and Belfast were primarily affected, while London Gatwick and London City reported consequential disruptions. This incident occurred less than two weeks after a separate, unrelated software defect resulted in the cancellation of approximately 2,000 flights nationwide.

NATS attributed the latest disruption to a connectivity issue. British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander announced that the problem has been resolved and systems are returning to normal operations. However, the impact remains substantial, with Ryanair reporting that 25,000 of its passengers faced delays. Other carriers, including easyJet and British Airways, also confirmed flight cancellations and schedule changes. Following the incident, Ryanair renewed its public calls for the resignation of NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe, whose position is currently under review by the government due to repeated system failures.

The transport ministry is currently monitoring the situation as service resumes. While the immediate technical fault has been fixed, the recurrence of such incidents has intensified political pressure on the leadership of the UK's primary air traffic service provider.