LONDON, September 9 (Reuters) – Flights from British airports resumed on Wednesday after a severe air traffic failure, but questions about the reliability of the United Kingdom’s aviation systems emerged, and ministers summoned the head of air traffic control to explain the disruption.
The disruption, which lasted several hours on Tuesday and led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded, increased pressure on NATS, the air traffic control company, and its chief, Martin Rolfe.
The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, will hear from Rolfe again this Wednesday, after having summoned him to explain what happened, amid concerns that infrastructure and technology are not up to the task.
The stoppage comes three years after the last widespread system failure, in August 2023, when flights canceled on one of the year’s busiest days cost airlines £100 million (US$135 million).
A radar-related technical problem also disrupted flights in July 2025, affecting major airports, including the UK’s largest, Heathrow.
“I am seeking assurances that lessons will be learned and that the systems supporting aviation are up to the task,” Alexander said on X.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has been calling for Rolfe’s resignation since 2023, while the UK chief executive of Wizz Air also said he should reconsider his position.
Ryanair said the UK airspace performed worse than that of other countries.
“We had minor problems elsewhere, but nothing on the scale we see, and we constantly see, in the United Kingdom,” Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer Neal McMahon told the BBC.
Rolfe, who apologized to those affected by the problem, rejected the notion that the UK is in a worse position than other countries and said the country’s air traffic service is well regarded for safety and resilience.
“At this stage, we rule out the possibility of cyberattacks,” Rolfe told the BBC when asked about the cause, adding that he believes this case would be different from previous disruptions.
With the restart of operations, Heathrow said passengers should check with their airlines before heading to the airport, as schedules would have been altered due to Tuesday’s problems.
“We expect ripple effects as aircraft and crews reposition themselves,” the UK’s busiest airport said in a statement.
“We are… working closely with our local NATS team and with partner airlines to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.”
London Gatwick, the second busiest airport in the UK, and the airports of Luton and Stansted also said they are operating, but advised passengers to check first with their airlines.
Ryanair said about 150,000 of its passengers were affected on Tuesday and that it canceled more than 200 flights, while British Airways said it canceled or diverted 100 flights, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.
NATS is a public-private partnership owned by airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, pension funds, and the government.
Criticizing the £175 million in dividends that NATS paid to its owners last year, McMahon of Ryanair said NATS should reinvest its profits in technology and expand its workforce.
