NATS Failure Causes 1,300 UK Flight Cancellations

A technical failure in National Air Traffic Services’ (NATS) flight-processing system caused roughly 1,300 cancellations and widespread delays across UK airports on Tuesday, with Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports among those affected. NATS said the fault had been resolved, but at least 177 additional flights were cancelled on Wednesday as airlines struggled to reposition aircraft and crews, and operations were expected to take time to normalize. Passengers reported being stranded on aircraft, in terminals and at baggage areas. British Airways cancelled or diverted more than 100 flights, Ryanair said more than 65,000 passengers were affected, and Air India diverted or cancelled services, including a Mumbai-to-London flight that landed in Zurich. NATS apologized and promised an investigation, while officials and travel experts warned that the backlog could continue causing significant disruption.