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A software defect in aircraft code allocation led to over 2,000 flight cancellations on September 8, affecting hundreds of thousands of travelers through major UK airports like Heathrow and Gatwick. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) released a report stating the issue was not due to human error but confirmed it as a software problem unrelated to previous outages in 2023. The Civil Aviation Authority is conducting an independent review to investigate Nats’ findings and future resilience plans, expected within six months.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-19,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 8, a software defect caused widespread air traffic control chaos across the UK, leading to over 2,000 flight cancellations and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. The incident was traced back to a small section of coding in the National Airspace System that allocates identification codes for aircraft on radar, which malfunctioned when two requests were processed simultaneously. This issue disrupted flights at major airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, with some travelers left stranded or forced to cancel their trips.
Catie and Phil Allen, for instance, had a holiday in Slovenia canceled after their flight from Luton Airport was grounded; despite receiving a refund from British Airways, they estimate losing over £1,300 due to unused accommodation and excursions. The UK government has ordered an independent review by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to investigate NATS' findings and enhance future resilience against such failures.
Written for “Air Traffic Control Software Glitch” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
An air traffic control issue which led to more than 2,000 flights being cancelled was caused by a defect in the software that allocates codes to individual aircraft, an investigation has found.
asserted
investigation → lead → aircraft
A preliminary report into the incident on September 8 was released by the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) on Friday, who said that the issue was not caused by any “incorrect actions”.
asserted
issue → release → actions
The fault caused flights both in and out of the UK to be axed, impacting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
asserted
flights → cause → passengers
The codes are used to identify flights on radar while they are airborne.
asserted
they → use → radar
Writing in the report, Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe said that at this stage he could confirm the incident was not related to a Nats outage in 2023 or a radar issue in July last year.
uncertain
incident → write → July
“I can also confirm that it was a software issue and not caused by any incorrect actions by either military or civil operators,” he said.
asserted
he → confirm → operators
Mr Rolfe apologised again to travellers who were affected by the incident, as well for the challenges it caused to the aviation industry.
asserted
it → apologise → industry
She said: “I have now received Nats’ report and, while I am pleased to see that the safety of passengers was protected, it’s clear we need to urgently understand why this issue was not discovered and fixed before it caused chaos.
asserted
it → say → chaos
“I have therefore tasked the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) with conducting an independent review to check Nats’ findings and investigate their investment plans to enhance resilience in the future, along with regulatory accountability.
asserted
I → task → accountability
“It is crucial that our national infrastructure is fit for the future, and this Government will make sure the aviation sector is as resilient as possible, so passengers can get to where they need to be.”
asserted
they → make → future
Read More
The CAA report is due to be published within six months.
asserted
report → read → months
Mr Rolfe has faced renewed calls for his resignation following the incident, which impacted airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.
asserted
which → face → Heathrow
Last July, a “radar-related issue” caused an air traffic control failure which disrupted thousands of passengers and forced the cancellation of more than 160 flights.
asserted
which → relate → flights
In August 2023, more than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports when Nats suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan.
asserted
Nats → suffer → plan
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