Jump to contentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAmelia NeathSunday 13 September 2026 15:00 BSTFlights grounded at UK airports including Heathrow due to air traffic control glitchRyanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to dismiss Nats boss Martin Rolfe following severe flight disruption.The demand follows an air traffic control technical failure on 8 September that affected over 2,100 flights across major UK airports.Mr O’Leary labelled the Nats back-up system useless and accused Mr Rolfe of incompetence after the third major technical fault in three years.Ryanair confirmed that more than 65,000 of its passengers were impacted, resulting in over 250 flight cancellations.Nats apologised for the disruption and confirmed a full investigation is underway, with a report due to be submitted to the government next week.In fullRyanair boss demands ‘overpaid, failing’ air traffic chief be sacked after UK airport crisisMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in