UK Air Travel Chaos

What happened

The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.

Analysis

How it changed

1. 6 Sep

   More than 1,200 flights were cancelled, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

   2 outlets · BBC
2. 9 Sep

   “But all of those things don’t detract from the fact that when these things happen, it is disappointing and upsetting, for which I apologise.”

   2 outlets · Evening Standard

Coverage 5 articles

• 9 Sep Which flights are cancelled at Heathrow and Gatwick today? Check our full listThe article reports on flight cancellations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports due to a technical issue with the air traffic control provider NATS' "flight processing system". The cancellations affect multiple flights from various airlines, including British Airways, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. A total of 83 flights are listed as cancelled between 9:50am and 4:05pm. NATS boss Martin Rolfe…Evening Standard
• 9 Sep Heathrow and Gatwick flights meltdown: Why was there such major disruption for passengers?A computer problem at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has caused a major disruption for hundreds of thousands of passengers at Heathrow, Gatwick, and other UK airports, with over 700 flights cancelled or delayed. The incident is under investigation by NATS, which has acknowledged that the issue was caused by a "spurious flight plan" that sent the system into a loop, leading to a shutdown. Neal McMahon from NATS…Evening Standard
• 9 Sep 'A complete nightmare': Airport chaos leaves Brits stranded for 16 hours - and most won't get a penny backA major technical failure at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded for up to 16 hours. Around 600 flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to an issue with NATS' flight processing system, causing chaos at airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham. The disruption continued into Wednesday morning, with over 250 flights cancelled at Heathrow alone by…Daily Mail
• 9 Sep Second day of travel chaos as Nats boss to face Transport SecretaryThe UK's National Air Traffic Service (Nats) is facing criticism over a technical issue that caused widespread flight cancellations on Tuesday and Wednesday. The issue resulted in the cancellation of 1,300 flights to and from UK airports, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. Nats boss Martin Rolfe will face questioning by Transport Secretary on Wednesday about the incident, which he attributed to an unforeseen…Evening Standard
• 6 Sep Aviation faces hotter, stormier skies – and passengers might have to accept more disruptionAir travel was severely disrupted over London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports on a busy Saturday in late June due to thunderstorms. Approximately 900 flights were delayed, with some waiting up to 11 hours, and dozens more were cancelled as air traffic controllers struggled to reroute planes around the storms. Industry experts, such as airline risk consultant Tim Atkinson, warn that such incidents may become more…BBC

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