UK CAA: NATS outage likely 'extraordinary circumstances', limiting passenger compensation

Key points

• A technical issue in NATS' flight-planning system on 8 September 2026 led to delays and the cancellation of hundreds of UK arriving and departing flights, with knock-on disruption continuing.
• The CAA considers delays and cancellations directly caused by the outage, and by its knock-on effects, likely to be 'extraordinary circumstances' under passenger rights rules, so passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation.
• Airlines must still look after passengers, including offering a refund, re-routing at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date for cancelled flights.
• Airlines must provide meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation proportionate to the length of the delay, with particular attention to those requiring more practical assistance.
• Where airlines cannot proactively offer care or suitable replacement flights, the CAA expects them to promptly reimburse passengers for reasonable costs incurred making their own arrangements.
• The Government has asked the CAA to carry out an independent review, and NATS will provide a technical report on the incident.
• The interpretation relates to Assimilated Regulation 261/2004, covering all flights departing from the UK and flights arriving into the UK on UK and EU carriers; different rights may apply to arrivals on non-EU carriers.