NATS technical glitch disrupts flights across UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick

Planes land at Heathrow Airport, London, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, as a design is announced for the politically and environmentally contentious 3rd runway at the airport-reportedly costed at 49 billion pounds, (US$66 billion). (Ap Photo/Joanna Chan)A major air traffic control issue left almost two thousand flights cancelled yesterday in the UK, per data from analytics company Cirium.National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said the technical problem has since been resolved, however further disruption is expected today. It serves 15 UK airports including Heathrow, Newcastle, Manchester, Gatwick and Stansted. NATS boss Martin Rolfe apologised for the issue, saying there’ll be a full investigation into what happened.  People have been left sleeping on airport floors, with nearby hotels being booked up immediately after the chaos began to unfold. Airline bosses have called for “urgent reform” over the issue. Wizz Air UK’s boss Yvonne Moynihan pointed out to Sky News it’s the third summer that passengers have been affected by air traffic control problems.Ryanair has called on Rolfe to quit as a result of the chaos, which it said disrupted over 65,000 of its passengers.What are the airports saying?As on the time of writing, the following airports had shared updates on their websites or social media:Aberdeen Airport“A technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control services is causing disruption to some flight departures. As a result, some services operating to and from our airports may experience delays.“We apologise for any inconvenience and advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling.”Belfast International Airport“Flights are operating to schedule this morning however some delays can be expected as the day goes on. If you are due to travel please check your flight status with your airline.”Bristol Airport“Following yesterday’s nation-wide National Air Traffic Services (NATS) technical issue, flights are mostly back to normal with a small number of delays and cancellations. Customers should check the latest flight information with their airline.”Cardiff Airport“Following technical issues affecting air traffic control services across parts of the UK yesterday, Cardiff Airport is operating as normal today.“NATS has advised that work is continuing to assist airlines and airports with the recovery from yesterday’s disruption, which has created difficulties across the wider aviation network. We encourage passengers to check directly with their airline or travel operator for the latest information on the status of their flight.”Heathrow Airport“Following yesterday’s technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control, Heathrow’s operations are recovering.“Flights are operating today, however some knock-on disruption is expected as airlines reposition aircraft and crew. Passengers are advised to check the latest status of their flight directly with their airline and to only travel to Heathrow if their flight is confirmed as operating today.“We apologise to passengers affected by the disruption. Additional colleagues are available across our terminals to provide support, and we are working closely with NATS and our airline partners to return operations to normal as quickly as possible.”London Luton Airport“Following yesterday’s technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control, London Luton Airport is open and operational today. However, it is likely that there will be a knock-on impact as airlines work hard to recover their schedules.“We advise passengers to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before travelling to the airport. We appreciate how frustrating this situation is and apologise to those affected. We have extra colleagues on hand to support across our terminal.”Manchester Airport“Following yesterday’s NATS air traffic control issue, the airport is operating as normal. Those travelling today should continue with their journey plans and check with their airline for the latest information on their flight, as usual.”Southampton Airport“Following yesterday’s technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control, our airports’ operations are recovering.“Flights continued to operate yesterday and today, but we are expecting ongoing disruption as aircraft and crew reposition. We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information and to only travel if they have a confirmed flight operating today.“We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this NATs related technical issue and will continue to provide support to our passengers.”London Stansted Airport“Following yesterday’s NATS air traffic control issue, the airport is operating as normal. Those travelling today should continue with their journey plans and check with their airline for the latest information on their flight, as usual.”What are your rights?Heathrow has warned passengers of potential delays on Wednesday as a result of the technical glitch, with Bristol Airport also warning to expect more disruption.Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said passengers have the right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of their delay – but he urged travellers to “keep the receipts” as you’ll need to claim the costs back from your airline. Anyone due to travel today should check the advice from their airport, tour operator or airline for the most up-to-date advice.ABTA, a trade association for tour operators and travel agents, said it will be supporting passengers who have booked with them to “help make alternative arrangements”.Per ABTA’s advice page, if your flight is cancelled and you’re departing from the UK, your airline must offer you the choice of a replacement flight at the earliest opportunity or a refund.If the flight delay exceeds five hours, your airline must offer you the choice of taking a refund of the flight cost.Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at ABTA, said: “While the immediate priority is supporting customers, as this isn’t the first Nats outage to cause widespread disruption, the industry and the public will want answers as to what has gone wrong, what lessons are being learned, and how the system will be made more resilient to avoid this happening again.”Related...Ditch Pricey Roaming Bills: This Unlimited Data eSIM Is A Travel Game-ChangerNeed A Quick Escape? 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Flights across the UK are facing disruption (Picture: Ceri Breeze/Getty Images) Flights from airports in the UK and Ireland have been delayed and cancelled, due to a technical problem affecting air traffic control. Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow are some of the worst hit, with both hubs forced to halt all departures. Stansted and London City are also facing issues, while flights from other UK airports, including East Midlands, Manchester and Birmingham have also been disrupted. The National Air Traffic Services [NATS] said disruption was expected after experiencing difficulties with its ‘flight processing system’ at its Swanwick centre. NATS said in a statement: ‘We are investigating a technical issue which is causing some disruption to flight departures. Our engineers are on site, and we will provide an update as soon as we can.’ It’s bad news for those holidaymakers who were hoping to jet off for some final summer sun. A Ryanair passenger told Metro he’d been waiting for three hours (Picture: Shutterstock / BearFotos) One passenger, due to fly to Spain on a Ryanair flight, told Metro they’d been stuck on the tarmac in Stansted for nearly three hours, adding there was a ‘sombre’ mood. If your flight has been disrupted, here’s everything you need to know. What are my rights if my flight is delayed or cancelled? According to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary. Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a place to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport. Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline. But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed. If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. However, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate. When am I eligible for this support? Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited: For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less) you must have been waiting for two hours or more. For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours) it’s three hours or more. For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more) it’s four hours or more. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page If my flight is cancelled, can I get a refund? If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between either getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route. Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. So, if you were on a return flight to Heathrow and the outbound leg was cancelled, you can get that part of the journey refunded. You’ll typically get your money back within a week. But not everyone is up for being stuck mid-layover. If you still want to travel, your airline must find a way to get you to your destination. This can include, say, if another airliner is flying to where you need to go soon or if there’s another form of transport you can take. All at no extra cost. I booked a package holiday, what are my rights? Check if the company you booked with is a member of ABTA, a trade association for tour operators and travel agents. It has a guide on what you can do if your flight has been cancelled. Passengers at Heathrow and Gatwick are having their journey’s disrupted (Picture: Getty Images) Can I get any extra compensation? What the law calls ‘extraordinary circumstances’ can include a fire, bird strikes, defects with a plane, or bad weather. But none of these entitles impacted passengers to extra compensation, consumer watchdog Which? says. They’re largely considered outside the airline’s control. In other circumstances, however, it’s a different story. You have several rights under the law if your journey is impacted by staff shortages, airline staff walkouts or if your flight was delayed because bad weather delayed a previous flight. What you’re entitled to depends on the cause of the cancellation and how much notice the airline gave you. This can range from £220 for short-haul flights, £350 for mid-haul and £520 for long-haul. What about unused accommodation? There might be things you do end up paying for. But you might be able to claim them afterwards. This can include unused accommodation, where you’ll need to contact your credit card provider or a travel insurance firm. As much as 94% of travel insurance policies travel abandonment, only 30% include wider travel disruption, according to analysts Defaqto. Travel insurance doesn’t cover any loss of earnings if the delayed or cancelled flight means you can’t work. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source