Airports have warned of further disruption on Wednesday after more than 2,000 flights to and from the UK were cancelled or delayed due to a “technical issue”.National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) chief Martin Rolfe was summoned at lunchtime to see Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, after reporting a problem with the organisation’s flight data processing system. Asked whether Ms Alexander and the prime minister still have confidence in Rolfe, a spokesperson said: “We have confidence in him and he’s been tasked with an investigation.”Around 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, according to Flightradar24, with a further 347 cancellations recorded on Wednesday.About four hours after the disruption began, Nats said engineers had identified the problem and had fixed it.However, it was not clear how long it would take for systems to return to normal after the widespread delays and cancellations.A Nats spokesperson apologised for the delays and advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to airports.Have you been affected by airport delays? Get in touch by emailing sophie.dickinson@independent.co.ukFraudsters are trying to sell fake BA flights, stranded passengers sayHolidaymakers Geoff and Janina McBride are warning people about a scam that NatWest fortunately rescued them from.The McBrides, from Hampshire, were trying to travel to Lisbon and then on to the Azores to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary – but their flight was cancelled.Former government nanotechnology scientist Mr McBride, 63, told PA they called a phone number on what they thought was the official BA website.A fraudster pretending to work for the airline tried to offer them alternative flights from London City, Gatwick or Heathrow airports and via Munich.The false flights were about £600 each, but the payments to him were not going through.His wife, 64, called NatWest to ask why and they told her “get off the phone to them immediately”, Mr McBride said.His card was blocked and the payments cancelled, he added, telling PA: “What do you do when you’re in a drama?“I’m very well-versed in cybersecurity, but it’s that one click, isn’t it?“And it looked legitimate, proper, he sounded proper, he was going through all the different flights, had all the details, so he can pull that off the internet and speak to me down the phone, credit card details – so I was lucky, very lucky.”Mr McBride added: “We were in a panic – that’s when they get you.”(PA)Harriette Boucher9 September 2026 17:38'Trying to get a seat in Wetherspoons is like the Hunger Games'Terminal 5 pre-security at Heathrow was significantly calmer this afternoon than it was yesterday, but departures is another matter.I was among tens of thousands of passengers caught up in yesterday’s chaos and am trying again today to get back to New York.My 12.20pm flight on Tuesday was just minutes from taking off when the crew was told to stand down. We were stuck on the runway for four hours before British Airways had to cancel our flight.The next available flight I could get a seat on wasn’t until tonight.I was one of the lucky ones and managed to get a hotel room in nearby Ealing, 20 minutes away on the Elizabeth Line.So, some 30 hours later, I’m back in Departures and it is extremely busy. Trying to get a seat in the Wetherspoons is like The Hunger Games.The good news is that the majority of flights now seem to be departing more or less on time, according to the boards in front of me. Fingers crossed!Rhian found a seat at the airport eventually (Rhian Lubin)Rhian Lubin, Senior US reporter 9 September 2026 17:04Heathrow Express operating a reduced service Heathrow Express services are departing at a reduced frequency on Wednesday due to vandalism of railway equipment.From London Paddington: Services are departing at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour.From Heathrow Terminal 5: Services are departing at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour.From Heathrow Central for Terminals 2 & 3: Services are departing at 02 and 32 minutes past the hour.Natalie Wilson9 September 2026 16:44'Serious concern' from airlines after third major system failure in three yearsUK Airlines have written to the transport secretary to share their “serious concern” about Nats technical failure yesterday.The body representing them has called for tougher action following the major disruption caused from Nats third major system failure in three years, it said.Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said:“The latest NATS failure has again exposed a gap in the UK’s aviation regulatory framework. “Airlines are expected, in supporting passengers, to absorb the costs of disruption, even when the cause lies entirely outside their control.“The result is a system where airlines pick up the bill for the mistakes of others, while the organisations responsible face little or no financial consequence. Accountability should sit where responsibility lies and the Civil Aviation Bill offers the opportunity to address this.” Harriette Boucher9 September 2026 16:42Heathrow sees highest number of cancellations Heathrow airport has seen the highest number of cancellations on Wednesday, with 127 cancelled arrivals and 79 cancelled departures, according to Cirium, the aviation analytics company.(Getty)Natalie Wilson9 September 2026 16:34New bill could give stranded passengers more rightsAt the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill in the House of Commons today, the transport secretary said that the new legislation would give the Civil Aviation Authority direct enforcement powers for consumer protection."That means faster action when rules are broken, and less burden on consumers to fight for what they're owed," Ms Alexander said. Currently, passengers on delayed and cancelled flights are required to contact their airline for a potential refund, based on the severity of the disruption.Sophie Dickinson9 September 2026 16:03‘I do not believe this issue was unavoidable’, says transport secretarySpeaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, the transport secretary Heidi Alexander said that she did not believe the issue was “unavoidable”, as she said: “I am clear that passengers should not have to face this disruption.”She has asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to carry out an independent review into the incident, which will report back in six months.(Parliament TV)Sophie Dickinson9 September 2026 15:53Risk of scam activity higher at times of major disruption, says expertStranded passengers hoping to contact airline support services on social media can often fall foul of fraudulent replies from fake accounts. These purport to be from official sources but are actually run by individuals hoping to access private information.Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website Head for Points, warned: “Fake airline customer support lines are a long-term problem, but at time of major disruption its more likely people will get caught out.“A genuine social account should have a verification tick or similar and, more importantly, have a large number of followers and posts going back many years. “Remember that you don't need to hand over your credit card details before someone gets vital information on you – just giving your booking reference and surname allows access your personal details, and that can be used for a non-travel related scam."A fake BA customer service account (X)Sophie Dickinson9 September 2026 15:45Natalie Wilson9 September 2026 15:232,093 flights affected since TuesdayAccording to Cirium, the aviation analytics company, 2,093 flights have been affected by the Nats technical issue. The figure represents 5.91 per cent of the 5,869 scheduled flights. A normal day is between one and two per cent. So far on Wednesday, 347 flights have been cancelled or did not fly.Natalie Wilson9 September 2026 15:12