Massive UK ATC Failure Remedied, But Still Causing Flight Disruptions

Image: Airplane approaching the landing strip at London Heathrow Airport, UK. (photo via iStock/E+/stockcam)
Image: Airplane approaching the landing strip at London Heathrow Airport, UK. (photo via iStock/E+/stockcam)
Bruce Parkinson
by Bruce Parkinson
Last updated: 1:25 PM ET, Mon August 28, 2023

The British National Air Traffic Service (NATS) is now saying they have identified and fixed the technical issues that caused a network-wide failure for air traffic control systems this morning. However, the impact continues to delay thousands of passengers.

The technical problem caused significant flight disruptions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Reports say more than 500 flights were cancelled.

According to The Independent, the major outage on one of the busiest days of the year – bank holiday Monday -- left traffic controllers inputting flight paths manually after their digital systems went down.

Around one million passengers had been due to fly to and from the UK on the Monday bank holiday, according to data from analytics firm Cirium – with many facing delays of up to 12 hours.

According to FlightAware, there are currently significant delays at major airports across the U.K. including:

London Heathrow: 26% of all departures, 24% of arrivals.

London Stansted: 11% of all departures, 22% of arrivals.

London Gatwick: 29% of all departures, 41% of arrivals.

London City: 30% of all departures, 38% of arrivals.

Glasgow International: 23% of all departures, 30% of arrivals.

Edinburgh: 24% of all departures, 21% of arrivals.

Manchester: 18% of all departures, 20% of arrivals.

Birmingham International: 17% of all departures, 19% of arrivals.

All travellers flying through U.K.-based airports are being told to check with their airline before heading to the airport.

Topics From This Article to Explore

Featured Video

Get To Know Us Better

Advertise with UsTravelPulse Canada has been voted #1 by Travel Advisors in Canada year after year.. Let us help you connect with them.
Follow us on Social MediaDaily updates on Travel industry news and events across our social media channels stay current follow along!
Advertise with UsTravelPulse Canada has been voted #1 by Travel Advisors in Canada year after year.. Let us help you connect with them.
Follow us on Social MediaDaily updates on Travel industry news and events across our social media channels stay current follow along!

Become A Travel Expert

Upcoming Webinar
Mexico for the Western Traveler Part 2: 2026Tuesday, October 29, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and TravelPulse in the virtual studios for Discover Mexico for the...
Upcoming Webinar
River Cruises PlusMonday, October 26, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, TravelPulse and leaders from top river cruise companies to get the...
Upcoming Webinar
Worry-Free Access to the World - Part 3Monday, November 2, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, and TravelPulse for Worry-Free Access to the World, a webinar...
Upcoming Webinar
Mexico for the Western Traveler Part 2: 2026Tuesday, October 29, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and TravelPulse in the virtual studios for Discover Mexico for the...
Upcoming Webinar
River Cruises PlusMonday, October 26, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, TravelPulse and leaders from top river cruise companies to get the...
Upcoming Webinar
Worry-Free Access to the World - Part 3Monday, November 2, 2026
2:00pm Eastern
Join Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, and TravelPulse for Worry-Free Access to the World, a webinar...