Flights across the UK resumed early on Wednesday after a technical failure in NATS’ flight data processing system disrupted services at Heathrow and other major airports a day earlier. The outage forced widespread cancellations and delays, with Heathrow still reporting further schedule changes as recovery work continued and passengers urged to check with airlines before travelling.
More than 1,000 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers across the UK network. Heathrow accounted for most of the additional Wednesday cancellations, with 177 flights cut there alone, underscoring how quickly a national air traffic control failure can ripple through the country’s busiest hub. The disruption also hit Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted, while NATS worked to restore normal operations after resolving the technical issue. Recovery remained incomplete on Wednesday as carriers continued adjusting schedules.