Key facts
- A technical issue with the UK's air traffic control provider, NATS, caused widespread flight cancellations.
- Over 2,000 flights were canceled on Tuesday, with an additional 291 canceled by Wednesday lunchtime.
- Heathrow Airport experienced significant disruptions, canceling almost half of its scheduled departures.
- Numerous flights were diverted to other European airports due to the NATS system failure.
- The incident follows a previous software failure at NATS in August 2023 that affected 700,000 travelers.
A significant technical issue within the UK's air traffic control system, operated by NATS, has resulted in widespread flight cancellations and severe travel disruption across the country. The problem, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon, led to thousands of flights being grounded, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded at airports or waiting on tarmacs.
London Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest hub, was particularly hard-hit, with nearly half of its scheduled departures canceled on Tuesday. Many flights bound for London were diverted to other European cities, including Paris, Edinburgh, and Frankfurt. The cascading effect of the disruption meant that airplanes and flight crews were left in unexpected locations, contributing to further cancellations on Wednesday. British Airways, for instance, had to cancel 190 flights despite working through the night to reschedule.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 1,746 flights to and from the UK were canceled or did not depart on Tuesday, representing approximately 30% of the day's schedule. By Wednesday lunchtime, an additional 291 flights were canceled, a rate significantly higher than the typical 1% to 2%.
This incident is not the first time NATS has faced major disruptions. In August 2023, a software failure in its automatic flight-planning system affected 700,000 travelers and was estimated to have cost the industry up to £100 million ($135 million). Following the latest meltdown, Ryanair executives renewed their calls for NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to resign, with Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon questioning his management. NATS has issued apologies for the "hugely frustrating" situation and stated they are working to assist airlines and airports in recovery. Martin Rolfe was reportedly summoned to meet with the UK's transport secretary.