Second NATS outage in September delays flights between the Netherlands and the UK

Disruption overview

A technical problem at NATS' Prestwick control center on 21 September 2026 led to airspace restrictions over parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England, delaying flights between the Netherlands and the UK. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Manchester Airport, Glasgow Airport, and the Belfast airports were among the locations affected, with departures held on the ground and some same-day cancellations. The disruption came less than two weeks after a broader NATS failure on 8 September, adding fresh pressure to already busy cross-border schedules. Because this was an air traffic control issue rather than an airline-caused problem, compensation is usually unlikely, but airlines should still provide rebooking or refunds, plus care such as food, drinks, and accommodation when needed.

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Disruption details

A technical problem at NATS' Prestwick control center on 21 September 2026 led to traffic-flow restrictions over parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England, delaying flights between the Netherlands and the UK. For passengers traveling through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Manchester Airport, Glasgow Airport, and the Belfast airports, this meant late departures, longer waits, and some same-day cancellations.

NATS said the problem was a connectivity issue affecting part of its systems network. The fault was fixed the same morning, but the disruption didn't end there. Aircraft and crews still had to be put back into position, so delays were expected to continue through the rest of the day and into the evening schedule.

The knock-on effect was felt quickly on busy North Sea routes. Departures from Amsterdam and other Dutch airports were held on the ground to avoid airborne holding over the UK, while flights arriving in the Netherlands were delayed as airlines rebuilt capacity on the return leg.

The heaviest operational impact was reported at Manchester Airport, Glasgow Airport, and the Belfast airports. There was also some secondary disruption around London's airport system as planes and crews ended up out of position. At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a planned runway-maintenance closure was already reducing capacity, which added more pressure to an already busy corridor.

This was the second NATS outage in September. A separate and much broader systems failure on 8 September had already caused network-wide restrictions and heavy cancellations, so Monday's incident raised fresh concern about how resilient the UK's air traffic infrastructure is during peak travel periods.

NATS said the Prestwick problem was unrelated to the earlier software defect and described it as an isolated connectivity issue. Even so, short outages can take longer to unwind in practice, especially when they interrupt dense cross-border schedules and leave crews and aircraft in the wrong place.

If your flight was caught up in this disruption, compensation is usually unlikely because the problem sat outside the airline's control. That doesn't mean you're on your own, though. Under EC 261, your airline should still help with rerouting or a refund, and it should provide food, refreshments, and hotel accommodation if an overnight delay leaves you stranded.

By the evening of 21 September 2026, the technical fault had been fixed and the airspace restrictions had been lifted. Residual delays were still expected into the night, but no further technical problems were reported by 22 September. If you want to better understand your rights or check what support may apply to your delayed or canceled flight, AirHelp's free flight checker is a simple place to start.

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