NATS TECHNICAL FAULT DISRUPTS DEPARTURES AT HEATHROW AND GATWICK

Departures from multiple UK airports were disrupted on 8 September following a technical fault affecting National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the air traffic control provider. Heathrow and Gatwick experienced the most significant impact, with departures paused and subject to stop-start disruption throughout the day. East Midlands and Manchester airports also reported delays to departing flights, whilst Edinburgh Airport indicated it could be affected. Incoming flights continued to land normally at affected airports.

NATS identified the fault in its flight processing system and stated that engineers were on site working to restore normal operations. The organisation confirmed that flights continued to depart and airspace remained open, though it cautioned that full recovery would take time. Both NATS and Heathrow Airport apologised for the disruption and advised passengers to contact their airlines for flight status updates. The technical issue had not been resolved as of the time of reporting.

NATS committed to providing updates through its website and X. Heathrow said it was supporting NATS efforts to resolve the fault as quickly as possible. The incident marked a significant disruption to UK aviation operations, affecting thousands of passengers across the country's busiest airports.