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Technical glitch in the UK leads to cancellation of over 2000 flights

A failure in the air traffic control system has caused the cancellation of over 2000 flights and major disruptions at several airports in the UK.

9 September 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Technical glitch in the UK leads to cancellation of over 2000 flights — Archive photoPhoto: Chabe01 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

A technical failure in the UK air traffic control system has led to the cancellation of over 2000 flights over two days. This issue particularly affected London airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as other major airports such as Manchester and Birmingham.

According to reports, only 177 flights were canceled on Wednesday, while around 1300 flights had been canceled the day before. Authorities, including the NATS air traffic control organization, stated that they had implemented recovery measures, although disruptions continued to be felt.

Initial reports emerged on Tuesday afternoon when the failure was observed, leading to a temporary halt in air operations. Thousands of passengers were affected, causing long waits and inconveniences at several European airports.

Some flights to and from airports in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal, also suffered from these disruptions, with at least nine flights canceled due to these technical issues in the UK. The situation generated a significant reaction from airlines, which expressed frustration over the delays.

Airports such as Stansted have also been reported as being affected by this failure. As operations slowly begin to normalize, pressure is mounting for clear accountability from the authorities regarding the nature of the failure and its impact on travel.

UK authorities have ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, while airlines demand explanations and suggest measures to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. The situation remains under scrutiny, with aviation experts analyzing the causes of this complex failure.

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