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Flights at London Heathrow and Gatwick are slowly resuming after a major air traffic control systems failure, but airlines and airports are warning that disruption is likely to continue for several days as aircraft and crew are brought back into position.
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What triggered the latest wave of disruption?
The latest problems began on 8 September 2026, when a technical failure in the flight processing system used by UK air traffic control provider NATS led to widespread delays and cancellations across multiple airports. Published coverage describes the issue as centred on software that handles flight plans, disrupting departures at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and other major gateways.
Reports indicate that hundreds of flights were cancelled or heavily delayed on the first day alone. At Heathrow, more than 100 departures were cancelled and hundreds more delayed, while Gatwick saw delays on around a third of its planned operations according to flight-tracking and media tallies. The knock-on effect extended well beyond London as aircraft and crew ended up out of place across Europe and further afield.
NATS has said publicly that the fault was traced to its flight processing system and that a technical fix was applied on the afternoon of 8 September. By the evening, the immediate system outage had been resolved and restrictions on departures began to ease, allowing a gradual restart of services from both Heathrow and Gatwick.
Although the underlying technical issue has been addressed, the immediate grounding and subsequent schedule reshuffles created a backlog that could not be cleared overnight. Aircraft parked in the wrong airports, pilots and cabin crew running up against duty-time limits, and missed connections for passengers all contribute to a slower recovery curve.
Current situation at Heathrow: gradual recovery
As of 9 September, Heathrow’s publicly available updates state that flights are operating, but with ongoing “knock-on disruption” as airlines reposition aircraft and crew. Passengers are being urged to travel to the airport only if their flight is confirmed as operating, and to expect altered departure times while schedules are adjusted.
Industry data cited in UK media indicate that Heathrow remained the worst affected airport into the second day of the crisis. Early on 9 September, several hundred flights at Heathrow had already been cancelled, with many more subject to long delays while airlines attempted to rebuild their timetables. Backlogs were particularly acute for long-haul services, where spare aircraft and crews are more limited.
Heathrow’s published operational notices stress that the airport itself is open and its infrastructure is functioning normally. Security lanes, immigration and baggage systems are reported to be available, and additional staff have been deployed in terminals to manage queues and rebooking desks. The main constraint remains the rate at which airlines can safely slot delayed or repositioned flights back into an already crowded airspace.
Based on previous large-scale air traffic control outages, travel analysts quoted in coverage suggest that Heathrow may need several days to return to broadly normal patterns, particularly at peak morning and evening waves. While many flights are expected to run on 10 and 11 September, rolling delays, short-notice cancellations and aircraft swaps are still likely, especially on routes where aircraft were diverted or crews “timed out” during the initial disruption.
Gatwick’s outlook: fewer cancellations but lingering delays
Gatwick, London’s second-busiest airport, has experienced a slightly different pattern. Initial reports pointed to dozens of cancellations on 8 and 9 September, but fewer outright cancellations than at Heathrow. However, a high proportion of Gatwick’s schedule has suffered significant delays as flights were held on the ground or rerouted.
According to published tallies from flight-tracking services and news outlets, around a quarter to a third of Gatwick flights were delayed on the first day of the outage, with low-cost and short-haul services particularly exposed. Some aircraft operated with extended ground time or later-than-planned departures to accommodate crew rest rules and congestion elsewhere in the network.
By 9 September, statements from Gatwick indicated that departures had resumed, but passengers were again advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest status. Schedules remained fragile, especially for early-morning departures whose aircraft and crews had been disrupted the previous day. Turnaround times between inbound and outbound legs have come under pressure, increasing the risk of further slippage through the day.
Travel industry observers expect Gatwick to recover marginally faster than Heathrow because of its greater focus on point-to-point leisure and short-haul routes that can be re-timed over the following 24 to 48 hours. Nonetheless, residual disruption is still anticipated into the end of the week, particularly for tightly banked departures and for airlines with less spare capacity in their fleets.
How long until operations are “back to normal”?
There is no single published target date for a complete return to normal operations at Heathrow and Gatwick, but patterns emerging from airlines, airports and previous incidents offer some guidance. With the NATS system fix in place and traffic flowing again, the main variable is how quickly airlines can clear the backlog and reposition resources.
Analysts and aviation specialists quoted across media coverage generally frame the recovery in terms of days rather than hours. After the air traffic control meltdown in August 2023, operators reported that it took roughly three days for schedules to resemble normality at major hubs, and around a week for all residual disruption to disappear from long-haul networks. Commentators note that the current event is similar in scale, though not identical in its technical cause.
Based on that precedent and on current cancellation figures, travellers can expect the heaviest disruption at Heathrow and Gatwick to continue through at least 10 and possibly 11 September. During this period, more cancellations are likely as airlines prioritise certain routes, consolidate lightly booked flights and free up capacity to retrieve stranded passengers from overseas.
A more stable pattern may emerge into the weekend, with most flights operating broadly as scheduled but with elevated risk of delays, aircraft changes and occasional last-minute cancellations. Long-haul routes and complex itineraries involving connections through Heathrow are likely to feel effects the longest, as disrupted aircraft rotations can take several days to rebalance.
What travellers should do if they are due to fly
Publicly available advice from airports, regulators and consumer organisations is consistent on one central point: anyone due to fly from Heathrow or Gatwick in the coming days should check their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport. Online departure boards and airline apps are being updated frequently as schedules are rebuilt.
Travellers whose flights are cancelled or significantly delayed may have entitlements under UK and European passenger-rights rules, including re-routing or refunds, and in some cases hotel accommodation and meals. Guidance from consumer groups stresses that obligations can differ depending on the cause of disruption and the airline’s operating licence, so passengers may wish to review official civil aviation guidance or seek independent advice.
For those able to be flexible, rebooking for later in the week or choosing off-peak times may reduce the likelihood of disruption, though there is no absolute guarantee. Industry commentators suggest allowing extra time at the airport, being prepared for longer queues at check-in and security, and avoiding tight connections involving separate tickets.
Looking ahead, regulators and policymakers are expected to scrutinise the resilience of the UK’s air traffic control systems, particularly in light of a previous major outage in 2023. While those reviews will unfold over months, travellers using Heathrow and Gatwick in the short term are likely to face a few days of unsettled operations before flight schedules fully stabilise.
Condé Nast Traveller coverage of the NATS failure