Heathrow and Gatwick delays live: Fears of more chaos on Wednesday after computer glitch cancels 1,000 flights
Passenger journeys in chaos over ‘technical issue’ hitting hundreds of take-offs
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Airports have warned of further disruption on Wednesday after more than 1,000 flights to and from the UK were cancelled due to a “technical issue”.
Tens of thousands of passengers at airports including Heathrow and Gatwick faced travel chaos on Tuesday, with departures severely delayed because planes could not take off safely.
Bristol Airport has told passengers to expect more disruption on Wednesday, while Heathrow has also warned passengers of potential delays.
About four hours after the disruption began, the National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) said engineers had identified the problem and had fixed it.
However, it was not clear how long it would take for systems to return to normal after the widespread delays and cancellations.
A Nats spokesperson apologised for the delays and advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to airports.
Ryanair and Wizz Air slammed Nats as “not fit for purpose” and called for urgent reform of the group.
“A critical national infrastructure provider should not repeatedly bring the aviation system to a standstill. Nats is simply not fit for purpose in its current form,” a Wizz Air spokesperson said.
More than 1,000 flights cancelled across UK
Inbound flights to London airports + Manchester + Birmingham looking very different tonight compared to last Tuesday.
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at UK airports following a technical failure at a NATS ATC facility earlier today. pic.twitter.com/9HU2Rv7PSY
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 22:42
Further disruption on Wednesday after mass cancellations
Bristol Airport has warned of further disruption tomorrow after more than 600 flights were cancelled today.
It said: “Flights are now arriving and departing at Bristol Airport, following the UK-wide National Air Traffic Services (NATS) technical issue today.
“Customers should check the latest flight information with their airline.
“Disruption is likely to continue into Wednesday 9 September.”
Heathrow is also warning of further disruption.
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 22:20
Getting out of Gatwick 'like trying to escape from Alcatraz'
Josie Donoghue had to get off her flight to Ireland after spending three hours on the runway, and said that getting through Gatwick airport was like “trying to get out of Alcatraz”.
The healthcare worker boarded the Ryanair plane to Shannon at around 3pm and said the delay went “on and on”.
She said: “Clearly, they didn’t want to tell us what was happening, so I had enough, and I decided at 6 o’clock I’m getting off this plane. I told them I want to get off.”
She said the staff were “exceptional” and helped passengers exit the plane.
Ms Donoghue added: “Getting through that airport was like trying to get out of Alcatraz. We were trapped in there. We were told we couldn’t get out until the flights were cancelled, and then eventually they allowed us to get out.“
She added: “It’s just an absolute nightmare down there, it’s the only word I can use to describe it.” Ms Donoghue is hoping to rebook a flight to Ireland for Wednesday.
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 22:10
Heathrow suspends arrivals for the evening
Heathrow said it had suspended arrivals for the rest of Tuesday.
Bosses said: “Departures have resumed, but disruption is expected to continue, so we advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling to the airport.
“We apologise to those affected and are supporting our local NATS team and airline partners as they work through the resulting disruption.”
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 21:57
Hotels around Heathrow 'fully booked'
A couple from Ohio were searching for overnight accommodation in the Heathrow area after finding hotels fully booked.
Priya Pandit said she would be more than 24 hours late to meet her family in Istanbul after her flight was cancelled.
The 26-year-old was travelling with 24-year-old Ishan Bhandari and they were due to arrive in the Turkish city on Wednesday morning but their flight was cancelled.
Ms Pandit said: “We got affected and our flight got cancelled.
“So we’re just looking for the accommodation because the hotels are all booked out.
“It’s a bummer that we couldn’t meet our family.”
The pair, from Ohio, are now flying to Amsterdam at 1pm tomorrow, with a four-hour stopover before their flight to Istanbul.
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 20:35
'Is there a maximum time limit we’re expected to sit here?' passengers ask
Passengers complained to British Airways on social media about the disruption.
One wrote: “Stuck on what was supposed to be the 1:20pm flight to JFK and a number of us would like to know what the policy is for either serving food and beverages or allowing passengers to get off the flight?
“Is there a maximum time limit we’re expected to sit here?”
Another said: “Hey @British_Airways — my 3.55pm flight from DUB > LCY has been delayed till 12.30am. At this point, I’d prefer to be booked on another flight later in the week. No staff to talk to here at Dublin, no communication. Anything you can do to help?”
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 19:55
Recovery taking 'longer than hoped' - Nats
ℹ️ Technical issue
Recovery from today’s system issue has taken longer than we had hoped . Our system issue is now resolved, we are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights. (1/2) https://t.co/NpFp3PBDo7
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 19:46
Journalist 'tries not to panic'
Julia Pobegailova, 29, was due to fly from Gatwick to Tel Aviv at around 1.30pm today.
The journalist, who works for an Israeli TV channel, said that after boarding the Wizz Air flight she sat on the runway for three hours before being informed it had been cancelled.
Ms Pobegailova told PA that Wizz Air’s next flight to Tel Aviv was not until Saturday.
“I’m just trying not to panic,” she added.
“I’m trying to figure out what to do and find a solution. There’s always a way, so it’s fine.”
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 19:35
Watch: The Independent staff stuck at airports amid widespread outages
Harriette Boucher8 September 2026 19:27
Disruption expected for rest of today at Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport said it expected flight disruption to continue for the rest of the day.
Jane Dalton8 September 2026 19:10
