What happened
UK air traffic control went down from about 1PM BST on 8 September 2026 after a NATS software bug, freezing departures for nearly four hours. One Mile at a Time reports FlightAware figures of 225 cancellations (32%) and 180 delays (26%) at Heathrow. Gatwick canceled 121 flights.
Occupied gates left arriving aircraft nowhere to park. British Airways BA272 from San Diego landed at 2:07PM and reached a gate at 7:42PM, 5 hours 35 minutes later, with passengers still onboard. BA122 from Doha landed at 2:19PM and reached a gate at 7:48PM, 5 hours 29 minutes later.
Aircraft and crews were then in the wrong places, so operations did not recover after the fix. Anyone with a London flight that day faced mass cancellations and a British Airways short-haul shutdown.
Check 8 September 2026 UK itineraries for cancellations and knock-on delays at Heathrow and on British Airways short-haul, then pursue rebooking or passenger-rights options if stranded.
- Starts
- Sep 8, 2026
- Ends
- Sep 8, 2026
- Numbers
- 225 flights: Heathrow cancellations
- 32%: share of Heathrow flights canceled
- 180 flights: Heathrow delays
- 26%: share of Heathrow flights delayed
- 121 flights: Gatwick cancellations
- 5hr35min hours: BA272 taxiway wait after landing at Heathrow
- 5hr29min hours: BA122 taxiway wait after landing at Heathrow
- Where
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick Airport (LGW), London Stansted Airport (STN), London Luton Airport (LTN), United Kingdom
- Takeaway
- Check UK itineraries around 8 September 2026 for cancellations and knock-on delays, especially at Heathrow and on British Airways short-haul, and pursue rebooking or passenger-rights options if stranded.