Heathrow ATC disruption hits India-UK connectivity, multiple flights affected
An IndiGo service, 6E3, operating from Delhi to London Heathrow, was diverted to Paris amid the disruption, highlighting the impact on India-originating services
- Sep 9, 2026,
- Updated Sep 9, 2026 2:14 PM IST
The technical failure at the UK's air traffic control provider NATS has continued to disrupt India-UK air connectivity, with multiple airlines operating on the route facing delays, cancellations, and diversions as Heathrow and carriers work to restore schedules.
The disruption has affected services operated by several airlines connecting India with the UK, including Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and IndiGo. The impact is expected to extend beyond flights directly affected during Tuesday's air traffic control outage, as airlines reposition aircraft and crew across their networks.
An IndiGo service, 6E3, operating from Delhi to London Heathrow, was diverted to Paris amid the disruption, highlighting the impact on India-originating services. The flight was subsequently affected by the operational constraints at Heathrow.
The disruption has also affected other India-UK services. Air India has been forced to make operational adjustments to flights connecting India and the UK, while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also faced disruption as Heathrow works through the backlog.
The NATS technical issue, which affected its flight-data processing system, was resolved on Tuesday evening. However, Heathrow said on Wednesday that while flights were operating, passengers should expect knock-on impacts as aircraft and crew are repositioned.
The scale of the disruption has been significant. According to Flightradar24 data, around 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, while another 177 cancellations had been recorded for Wednesday, nearly all at Heathrow. Cirium data showed that 38 of Heathrow's 661 scheduled arrivals had been cancelled or were unable to operate on Tuesday.
British Airways was among the carriers most affected at Heathrow, cancelling 16 of its 333 scheduled departures on Tuesday, according to Cirium data
For Indian passengers, the disruption could therefore continue even after the underlying technical fault has been resolved. Aircraft and crew operating on India-UK routes can be left out of position following diversions and cancellations, creating delays in subsequent rotations.
The incident underlines the dependence of India-UK air connectivity on Heathrow, one of the world's busiest international airports. With multiple Indian and international carriers operating direct services between the two countries, disruptions at the London hub can quickly cascade into flight schedules across both directions of the India-UK corridor.
NATS said its system issue had been resolved and that safety had not been compromised, but acknowledged that the recovery was complex and would take time as the wider aviation network worked to clear the backlog.
The technical failure at the UK's air traffic control provider NATS has continued to disrupt India-UK air connectivity, with multiple airlines operating on the route facing delays, cancellations, and diversions as Heathrow and carriers work to restore schedules.
The disruption has affected services operated by several airlines connecting India with the UK, including Air India, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and IndiGo. The impact is expected to extend beyond flights directly affected during Tuesday's air traffic control outage, as airlines reposition aircraft and crew across their networks.
An IndiGo service, 6E3, operating from Delhi to London Heathrow, was diverted to Paris amid the disruption, highlighting the impact on India-originating services. The flight was subsequently affected by the operational constraints at Heathrow.
The disruption has also affected other India-UK services. Air India has been forced to make operational adjustments to flights connecting India and the UK, while British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have also faced disruption as Heathrow works through the backlog.
The NATS technical issue, which affected its flight-data processing system, was resolved on Tuesday evening. However, Heathrow said on Wednesday that while flights were operating, passengers should expect knock-on impacts as aircraft and crew are repositioned.
The scale of the disruption has been significant. According to Flightradar24 data, around 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, while another 177 cancellations had been recorded for Wednesday, nearly all at Heathrow. Cirium data showed that 38 of Heathrow's 661 scheduled arrivals had been cancelled or were unable to operate on Tuesday.
British Airways was among the carriers most affected at Heathrow, cancelling 16 of its 333 scheduled departures on Tuesday, according to Cirium data
For Indian passengers, the disruption could therefore continue even after the underlying technical fault has been resolved. Aircraft and crew operating on India-UK routes can be left out of position following diversions and cancellations, creating delays in subsequent rotations.
The incident underlines the dependence of India-UK air connectivity on Heathrow, one of the world's busiest international airports. With multiple Indian and international carriers operating direct services between the two countries, disruptions at the London hub can quickly cascade into flight schedules across both directions of the India-UK corridor.
NATS said its system issue had been resolved and that safety had not been compromised, but acknowledged that the recovery was complex and would take time as the wider aviation network worked to clear the backlog.