Nearly 2,000 flights were cancelled at UK airports due to a major air traffic control system failure, TASS reported, citing The Times newspaper.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the company responsible for air traffic control in the UK, stated that the issue with the "flight processing system" was detected at approximately 1 p.m. local time on September 8 and was "fully resolved" by 7 p.m.

NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe ruled out a cyberattack, stating that a thorough investigation into the incident would be conducted.

According to a statement from the management of Ryanair, Europe's largest budget airline, delays or cancellations of more than 200 flights affected up to 150,000 passengers. British Airways was forced to cancel or redirect over 100 aircraft. EasyJet reported that some of its flights "cannot be operated" due to air traffic control issues, causing delays across Europe.

Specialists stated that operations at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City, and other airports remained disrupted.