Planes are parked at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London (AP/ Representational)Over 600 flights in the UK were cancelled on Tuesday due to a technical issue in the air traffic control system, the flight monitoring website Flightradar24 reported. Airports across Britain were witnessing flight delays and cancellations after air traffic control provider NATS experienced a technical glitch.Air-traffic chiefs said that since planes could not take off safely, departures were severely delayed. Nearly two hours after the air traffic issues persisted across the United Kingdom, the National Air Traffic Control Service (NATS) said engineers had identified the problem and had fixed it, The Independent reported. However, it wasn’t clear how much time it would take for the system to return to normal.A NATS spokesperson said, “We apologise for the delay this will cause to journeys. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight.”The air traffic control service @NATS is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting arriving and departing flights across UK airports.We are supporting our local NATS team in their efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.We apologise to those affected by… pic.twitter.com/ji2LyCdL3T— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) September 8, 2026Heathrow Airport, in a statement earlier, said that it was working with NATS to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and that arriving flights were not currently affected.In a post on X, Heathrow Airport stated, “The air traffic control service is experiencing a technical issue which is impacting departing flights at UK airports. Arriving flights are not currently impacted. We are supporting our local NATS team in their efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We will provide updated information when we have it. We apologise to those disrupted and advise passengers to check with their airline for latest flight information.”ℹ️ Technical issueWe have implemented a fix and our flight system is starting to recover. We are continuing to work closely with our airline and airport customers on recovery. (1/2) https://t.co/MEDLS3UUWT— NATS (@NATS) September 8, 2026A BBC report stated that Heathrow Airport has apparently run out of space where it couldn’t take any arriving flights because there’s been no departure.As of 1700 UTC, 625 flights have been canceled at airports in the UK following an earlier technical problem at NATS’ Shanwick ATC facility.easyJet: 218British Airways: 132Ryanair 41KLM 37Eurowings 22 pic.twitter.com/4hHZYmjFJv— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 8, 2026Flightradar24 has said that as of 5 pm (UTC), 625 flights have been canceled at airports in the UK following an earlier technical problem at NATS’ Shanwick ATC facility.Heathrow AirportBirmingham AirportManchester AirportStansted AirportEast Midlands AirportJersey AirportLondon City AirportLondon Southend AirportAberdeen AirportGlasgow AirportSouthampton PortBelfast AirportThe Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis. A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students. All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. The desk prioritises clarity, accuracy, and accountability, ensuring readers can navigate complex global systems with confidence. Core Team The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy: Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership. Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage. Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:Heathrow AirportUK news