Flight disruptions across the UK are continuing after a technical problem affecting the country's air traffic control system led to more than 2,000 cancellations and widespread delays at major airports.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 291 flights were cancelled on Wednesday, following approximately 1,750 cancellations on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers affected.

The disruption was linked to a technical glitch at NATS, the UK's air traffic control provider. NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe apologised for the disruption and said the organisation would conduct a full investigation into the incident.

Rolfe acknowledged that resolving the technical issue had taken longer than expected. The UK government has continued to support his position, with Downing Street saying he retains the government's confidence.

The incident has also raised concerns about the resilience of the UK's air traffic control infrastructure. Tuesday's outage was the third technical issue affecting NATS in three years, following previous disruptions in 2023 and 2025.

The disruption was widespread across the UK, with Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham among the airports most affected.

At Heathrow, departures were initially paused around lunchtime on Tuesday. Although air traffic later resumed, further disruption followed during the afternoon as the effects of the outage continued to impact aircraft movements.

The limited number of aircraft able to take off also affected arrivals. Restrictions on landings meant some flights were unable to depart from airports outside the UK, creating a wider knock-on effect across international flight schedules.

Several airports reported that flights had resumed by Wednesday, including Manchester, Luton, Stansted, Bristol and Belfast City. However, some airports continued to experience delays and other knock-on effects as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crew.

Airports and airlines have warned that the impact of the disruption could continue for several days as flight schedules gradually return to normal.

Heathrow said its operations were recovering, but warned that passengers could still face delays because of aircraft and crew repositioning.

Gatwick also confirmed that flights had resumed while cautioning that it would take time for operations to fully return to normal.

Passengers travelling through affected airports have been advised to check their flight status directly with their airline before travelling. Heathrow has specifically advised passengers to travel to the airport only if they have a confirmed operating flight.

The disruption has also extended beyond the UK, with airports in Ireland reporting impacts from the air traffic control problem.

As airlines continue to adjust aircraft and crew schedules, passengers with upcoming travel plans may face delays, cancellations or changes to their itineraries even where airports have resumed normal operations.

The incident highlights the wider impact that a technical failure in air traffic control systems can have on aviation networks, with disruption quickly extending across airports, airlines and international routes.