{
  "id": 6402052,
  "title": "UK rules out cyberattack after major flight disruptions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/uk-rules-out-cyberattack-after-major-flight-disruptions",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-09T09:22:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/uk-rules-out-cyberattack-after-major-flight-disruptions/a-79197818?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) CEO, Martin Rolfe, has dismissed the possibility of a cyberattack following a major disruption to flight operations at British airports on Tuesday. Over 1,000 flights were either cancelled or delayed due to issues with the flight processing system that began early Tuesday and persisted for several hours. Although the problem was supposedly resolved, more than 150 flights remained cancelled on Wednesday, with further delays expected throughout the day.\n\nLondon's Heathrow Airport warned that some disruption might continue as airlines reposition aircraft and crew, urging travelers to verify their flight status before arriving at the airport. Travel journalist Simon Calder stated to Sky News that there will be numerous cancellations in the morning at Heathrow, as many flights did not depart overnight.\n\nTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe for further clarification on the incident, expressing concerns over the UK's air traffic network. Alexander demanded an explanation of what caused the malfunction, citing previous instances of system failures affecting British airports, such as a system meltdown in August 2023 that resulted in $135 million in losses for airlines.\n\nIn 2025, flight radar problems impacted several UK airports, including Heathrow. Alexander sought assurances that lessons would be learned and aviation systems would be capable of handling such incidents. Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, reported that at least 150,000 passengers using its services faced delays of up to eight hours, with 200 flights cancelled. The airline urged NATS CEO Rolfe to resign, which he accepted was his responsibility but did not confirm if he would resign.\n\nNATS provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports and is a public-private partnership partially owned by airlines, pension funds, and the government.",
  "summary": "Airports across the UK continue to face delays and cancellations after a flight processing system failure. The UK's transport secretary has summoned the CEO of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) for an explanation.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "UK rules out cyberattack after major flight disruptions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/uk-rules-out-cyberattack-after-major-flight-disruptions-6405182",
        "published": "2026-09-09T09:22:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Tempo.co English",
        "title": "UK Rules Out Cyberattack After Major Flight Disruptions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/uk-rules-out-cyberattack-after-major-flight-disruptions-6404789",
        "published": "2026-09-09T09:52:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}