Key facts
- A technical failure at NATS, the UK's air traffic control provider, caused over 1,000 flight cancellations and hundreds of delays.
- Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Manchester, and Stansted airports were among the most affected.
- The issue impacted NATS' flight processing system, leading to grounded departures.
- Flights resumed on Wednesday, but airports warned of ongoing disruption due to repositioning aircraft and crew.
- Ryanair reported 150,000 passengers affected and over 200 flight cancellations.
- British Airways cancelled or diverted 100 flights.
Flights across the UK resumed on Wednesday after a significant technical failure at air traffic control provider NATS, which had caused over 1,000 flight cancellations and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers. The hours-long shutdown on Tuesday, attributed to a fault in NATS' flight processing system, has intensified scrutiny on the provider and its chief, Martin Rolfe.
Airports including Heathrow and Gatwick warned that operations would take time to normalize as aircraft and crews needed repositioning. Ryanair reported that approximately 150,000 of its passengers were affected, with the airline cancelling more than 200 flights. British Airways stated it had cancelled or diverted 100 flights, impacting tens of thousands of travelers.
The previous system meltdown in August 2023 reportedly cost operators £100 million ($135 million), prompting Ryanair to call for Rolfe's resignation.