Air travel between Ireland and the UK was thrown into turmoil on Tuesday after a technical problem hit British air traffic control systems, triggering widespread cancellations at Irish airports before officials said the issue had been fixed.
A large number of departing flights at major British airports were disrupted after air traffic control provider Nats experienced a technical issue. Nats said the “system issue” had been resolved at about 7.30pm.
“We are operating normally and working as hard as possible to clear the backlog of flights,” it said in a statement on X.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said that almost 1,100 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled. It said that by 8pm, a total of 1,055 flights had been cancelled.
Dublin Airport bore the brunt of the knock-on effects, with more than 70 inbound and outbound flights cancelled as schedules unravelled through the afternoon and evening.
As of 7pm this evening, Dublin Airport said that 43 departures and 30 arrivals were cancelled.
It also said that some flights in and out of the airport were subject to delays.
In a post on X tonight, Dublin Airport said it is expecting close to a full schedule of flights to operate to and from Dublin Airport tomorrow.
However, it said that the “potential for some disruption remains possible due to the displacement of aircraft”.
“Passengers should continue to check directly with their airline for latest updates on the status of their flight,” it added.
Passenger Update – 22.45
With air traffic control issues in the UK having been resolved, we are expecting close to a full schedule of flights to operate to/from Dublin Airport on Wednesday.
The potential for some disruption remains possible due to the displacement of aircraft.… pic.twitter.com/xiygqARmre
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) September 8, 2026
Disruption also rippled to Shannon Airport, where a number of services were called off as airlines adjusted to the UK airspace problems.
Among those cancelled were: a 4.10pm Ryanair flight from Birmingham Airport to Shannon; a Ryanair 4.35pm flight from Shannon to Birmingham; an Aer Lingus flight from London Heathrow to Shannon scheduled for 8.35pm; and an Aer Lingus flight to London Heathrow scheduled for 9.15pm.
A spokesperson said: “Further disruption is possible as the situation remains ongoing and passengers are advised to contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information.”
Earlier this evening, nine flights in and out of Cork Airport were cancelled while a number of other flights have been delayed.
Communications Manager for Cork Airport Barry Holland said: “Cork Airport has experienced some cancellations and a number of delays as a result of air traffic control issues in the UK.
“Our advice to passengers travelling to and from Cork Airport for the remainder of today is to check the most up to date flights status with their airline directly.”
In a post on X, Belfast City Airport said that “there may be some disruption to flights due to arrive in and depart” from the airport.
Passengers waiting at Gatwick Airport’s south terminal after the cancellations
Ryanair said more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted.
The airline said it had cancelled more than 50 scheduled flights following the problem and that some customers faced delays of up to eight hours.
In Britain, airports across the network reported significant impacts as the technical fault constrained airspace and disrupted departures.
Birmingham Airport said the issue was affecting airspace in the south of the UK and was “impacting a significant number of departing flights across the country”.
Heathrow Airport, the UK’s largest airport in London, confirmed it was among those impacted and said the issue was “impacting arriving and departing flights across UK airports”.
Manchester Airport Group, the company that operates Manchester Airport, Stansted Airport in Essex and East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, said flights from all three had been affected by the issue.
Jersey Airport in the Channel Islands, London City Airport, London Southend, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports also experienced some disruption.
Pilgrims to Lourdes ‘exhausted’, ‘frustrated’ over delays
For some travellers, the day’s disruption stretched into hours of uncertainty. More than 100 people due to fly to Lourdes on a pilgrimage at 1pm today were delayed at Dublin Airport due to the air traffic control issues.
Fr Joe McDermott from Newbridge said they were exhausted, hungry and very frustrated after sitting on the tarmac on their chartered aircraft for five hours before being disembarked.
Fr Mark English from Kells parish said many people in the group have special needs, some are in wheelchairs and there are many elderly people.
Fr McDermott said there was no information about their delayed flight and they had no indication when or if there will be an alternative flight to Lourdes for them.
Three flights were due to leave today from the Meath pilgrimage – one flight departed successfully but two further incoming flights from Lourdes were cancelled.
