Second UK air traffic outage in September delays Netherlands flights

People travelling between the Netherlands and the UK, take note: a second major UK air traffic control failure in a month has triggered widespread delays. With airline bosses slamming system management and cancellations mounting, make sure to double-check your flight status before heading to Schiphol or regional airports.

Airlines demand resignations after thousands of passengers delayed

Irish budget carrier Ryanair hit out at air traffic control operator NATS after the latest outage affected 140 of its flights and 25.000 passengers. In a statement on its website, the airline reiterated calls for NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign. "UK passengers cannot continue to suffer repeated disruption because of system failures, inadequate back-up procedures and failed management," Ryanair stated.

Other major airlines operating high-frequency routes between the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands echoed the criticism. EasyJet told the BBC that the failure "once again calls into question the resilience" of the air traffic system. Wizz Air went further, stating that the repeated technical glitches have created a "national confidence crisis" in NATS.

Industry representative body Airlines UK stated that both passengers and airlines "deserve better" following the outage. Meanwhile, Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy called for "urgent and accountable" action from authorities to strengthen aviation infrastructure across the region.

System issue resolved but knock-on delays affect European travel

According to NATS, the latest disruption was caused by a network connectivity issue at its Prestwick control centre in Scotland. The operator confirmed the technical failure was resolved by around 10.30am local time, insisting the incident had "nothing to do" with a separate software defect that grounded 2.000 flights earlier in September 2026.

Responding to industry criticism, a NATS spokesperson defended safety protocols while apologising to affected travellers. "In the real world, we accept technology can and sometimes does fail," the spokesperson said in a statement. "What isn't acceptable is any incident where safety is compromised - this is always our first priority." UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the ongoing issues, describing the repeat disruptions as "deeply frustrating" for passengers.

Although flight operations are gradually returning to normal, aviation officials warn that knock-on delays could ripple across European schedules for the remainder of the day. People travelling between the Netherlands and the UK are advised to verify their flight status directly with their airline before travelling to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or regional Dutch airports.