Daily Mail
· collected 2026-09-09 · by Alesia Fiddler, Elizabeth Haigh
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Airport chaos has left hundreds of thousands of passengers facing an 'absolute nightmare' after an issue with the UK's air traffic control (ATC)'s 'flight processing system' yesterday.
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chaos → see → system
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which provides ATC services to 15 airports across the country, suffered a major technical failure on Tuesday, leading to mayhem at hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
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which → provide → Heathrow
Some 600 flights were cancelled yesterday, with disruption quickly spreading to all major British airports and also hitting transport centres across Europe.
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disruption → cancel → Europe
Although NATS said yesterday it had identified and implemented a fix for the issue, the chaos continued this morning with around 250 flights cancelled at Heathrow alone by 6am, while British Airways has axed more than 190.
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Airways → say → 190
Among those stranded yesterday was former F1 driver and broadcaster Martin Brundle, who reported being stuck on a plane for nine hours at Heathrow.
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who → strand → Heathrow
Taking to social media, Mr Brundle said: 'Great work BA and Heathrow.
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Brundle → take → media
Nine hours and counting sitting on a plane which has travelled nowhere.
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which → sit → plane
US actress Rebel Wilson was also at Heathrow yesterday, and shared footage of the queues to her Instagram followers.
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Wilson → share → followers
Meanwhile, Julia Kobrin and her daughter Daniela are stranded in Milan, Italy, after originally planning to return home yesterday.
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Kobrin → strand → Milan
The pair told the Daily Mail they were on a BA flight on Tuesday and were stuck on the tarmac for six hours before passengers were finally informed it had been cancelled.
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it → tell → hours
They have still heard nothing from the airline despite being on the phone to the airline until 3am.
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They → hear → am
Fortunately, the pair were able to find a hotel room overnight and Mrs Kobrin's husband has booked them alternative flights – albeit on a circuitous route.
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husband → find → route
Assuming they go ahead as scheduled, the mother and daughter will return to Britain via Menorca – travelling an extra 700 miles in the process.
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mother → assume → process
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) suffered a major technical failure on Tuesday, leading to mayhem at hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham
Julia Kobrin (pictured) and her daughter Daniela were stranded in Milan, Italy, after originally planning to return home yesterday, and were stuck on a plane for six hours before the flight was cancelled
Holidaymakers trying to return to Britain queue outside Rhodes airport in Greece on Tuesday night
Passengers faced four-hour queues to exit Gatwick yesterday after hundreds of flights were cancelled amid problems with e-gates
In Rhodes, Greece, one traveller shared photographs with the Mail of a lengthy queue outside the airport as Brits tried to return to the UK.
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Brits → suffer → UK
After waiting outside all night, he said he and around 120 people – including babies, elderly people and those with disabilities – were given access to a conference room to sleep in at around 5.30am.
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he → wait → 5.30am
'We are all just sitting in the conference room with no information.'
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We → sit → information
The passenger added those stranded had been rebooked on an alternative flight for early Thursday morning.
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those → add → morning
Back at Gatwick, Marcus Wareham photographed chaotic scenes as people were stuck for hours inside the airport, unable to leave.
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people → photograph → airport
Large crowds were seen queuing as they tried to get through immigration to return home.
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they → see → immigration
Mr Wareham had already waited for his flight for eight hours before it was cancelled.
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it → wait → flight
'It now appears as though we cannot leave the airport at the passport e-gates don't seem to be working either,' Mr Wareham said yesterday.
'You couldn't make it up.
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You → appear → it
The head of NATs should be fired immediately.'
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head → fire → NATs
He added it took a further four hours to leave Gatwick and he has rebooked himself on a flight today.
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he → add → flight
'Back home from Spain after a complete nightmare and stressful journey', Mark Houghton wrote on social media.
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Houghton → write → media
He arrived at Barcelona Airport on Tuesday to be told his flight was cancelled.
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flight → arrive → Tuesday
In the end, he was offered tickets for a flight to Gatwick which was delayed by five hours when he arrived at the gate.
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he → offer → gate
'We were on the edge of the runway, and then the captain announced 'I'm afraid we are not allowed to take off we have to sit here for another hour and a half,'' he recalled.
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he → announce → hour
Eventually, the passenger arrived home at 3.30am.
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passenger → arrive → 3.30am
Mr Houghton added: 'Glad to be back to home sweet home, but feeling sorry for some of my friends who won't be able to get home for two days because of the backlog.'
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who → add → backlog
Louise Jarvis revealed how a group of eight travellers found themselves stuck at Gatwick for 16 hours due to the chaos and 'will now lose two precious days of their holiday through no fault of their own'.
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themselves → reveal → own
'Their flight was cancelled this morning.
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flight → cancel → ?
They rebooked onto another flight this afternoon themselves — only for that flight to be cancelled late this evening too,' she wrote.
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she → rebooke → flight
Ms Jarvis described baggage claim as 'absolute chaos' and explained how the group booked an alternative flight from Bristol 'to try and get away and salvage what they can of their holiday'.
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they → describe → holiday
Passengers sleep at Gatwick airport on Wednesday morning after an evening of travel chaos
Holidaymakers scramble for accommodation at a hotel at MIlan's Malpensa airport in Italy
Queues at Gatwick South Terminal on Wednesday morning as delays continue
Some passengers in Milan were sent to a large conference room to snatch some sleep
Personal trainer Cathy Smith and her partner Jack Clark, a couple from Baltimore were returning from Lisbon when their BA flight was caught up in the chaos
'
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flight → sleep → chaos
Two days of their holiday lost.
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days → lose → holiday
And passengers left to sort themselves out,' she fumed.
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she → leave → themselves
Sarah Holt explained how the delays have prevented her from getting home from her trip to Portugal altogether: 'Yesterday I arrived at Lisbon airport in good time for my 4.30pm flight to Heathrow expecting to land around 7.30pm and head to my pre-paid for hotel for the night.
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I → explain → night
A few minutes after arriving at the airport I was informed by BA that my flight was delayed.
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flight → arrive → BA
Then there was another update that the delay had been extended, then extended again, then finally, at 7pm, cancelled.
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delay → be → pm
There were queues to leave the airport, as so many people had had their flights cancelled.
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flights → be → airport
…and 73 more, not listed.
