Airlines

Air India hit by UK air traffic chaos as 1,000+ flights cancelled

A technical failure at UK air traffic control provider NATS disrupted Air India flights on Tuesday, part of over 1,000 UK flight cancellations affecting Heathrow and other major airports.

Published

1 month ago

September 9, 2026

Dailyviewer

Air India was caught up in UK air traffic chaos on Tuesday after a technical failure at NATS disrupted flight operations across the country.

The outage triggered more than 1,000 flight cancellations in the UK on Tuesday, with 177 more flights cancelled for Wednesday.

Heathrow, a key hub for India-UK travel, was among the hardest-hit airports, alongside Gatwick, London City, Luton, Edinburgh and Bristol.

Air India confirmed the technical problem forced it to divert, delay or cancel multiple flights scheduled to and from UK airports.

NATS said its systems were operating normally again, but warned that recovery from the backlog across the aviation network would take time.

Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton, Edinburgh and Bristol airports all reported disrupted flight operations during the outage, with Heathrow the most severely affected.

NATS said recovery from the backlog across the aviation network would take time even after the underlying technical issue was resolved.

This is not the first time a NATS technical failure has caused mass disruption to UK air travel, with similar system outages having grounded flights in the past.

Air India was among several international carriers, alongside UK domestic airlines, affected by the disruption at Heathrow and other British airports.

Passengers travelling to and from the UK were advised to check their flight status directly with airlines given the scale and unpredictability of the disruption.

NATS, formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, is the primary air traffic control provider for UK airspace, handling flight data processing for arrivals and departures across the country’s busiest airports.

September is a peak month for Indian student travel to the UK, meaning the timing of the outage was particularly disruptive for passengers flying to British universities for the new academic term.

NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe said the exact cause of the technical failure was still being investigated, though the system was confirmed to be operating normally again after the fix.

London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

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Airlines

Mumbai airport slot cuts: What happens next for passengers

After a meeting on October 6, the Civil Aviation Ministry asked Adani Airports and airlines to finalise a transition plan by October 20 and suggested delaying the shift of international flights from Mumbai airport by a few weeks.

Published

5 days ago

October 7, 2026

Dailyviewer

The proposed cut of 265 weekly international slots from October 25 is under discussion.

The ministry suggested a delay of a few weeks.

Airlines and Adani will meet on October 13 and October 20.

No final plan has been announced.

Passengers should watch for airline notices.

The ministry suggested delaying the proposed partial shifting of international flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport by a few weeks.

It asked Adani Airports, airlines and other stakeholders to work out an agreeable, win-win transition plan.

Airlines and Adani Airport Holdings will meet on October 13, followed by another meeting on October 20 to finalise the plan, according to Millennium Post.

The ministry also directed Adani Airports to submit its request for the Major Development Plan for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

The Major Development Plan is a key requirement for taking the wider redevelopment exercise forward.

BW Businessworld reported that the government has put Adani Airports’ Terminal 1 plan on hold.

Adani Airport Holdings had asked airlines to cut 33% of international flights from Mumbai or discontinue them by October 25.

The proposal was to suspend 265 of 770 weekly international departures at Terminal 2.

The operator said the reduction is needed to free up check-in counters, baggage belts, gates and office space at Terminal 2 for domestic operations moving from Terminal 1.

Airlines opposed the proposed timeline, arguing that the changes would be hard to implement operationally and need more time for planning.

IATA has called the plan forceful relocation and said any move should be based on airlines’ choice.

Adani executives outlined the preparedness of Navi Mumbai airport to handle up to 5 million international passengers a year, according to Millennium Post.

Skift reported that the airlines got more time, but the move to Navi Mumbai is still coming.

The reports did not say whether the October 25 date for the Terminal 2 cuts has been formally withdrawn.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Airlines

Mumbai airport slot cuts: What passengers should know

The Civil Aviation Ministry met airlines and Adani Airports on October 6 over the proposal to cut 265 of 770 weekly international slots at Mumbai’s Terminal 2 from October 25, which airlines and IATA have opposed.

Published

7 days ago

October 6, 2026

Dailyviewer

Adani has proposed cutting 265 of 770 weekly international slots at Terminal 2 from October 25.

Airlines can cut flights or move them to Navi Mumbai.

About 5 million of Mumbai’s 55 million annual passengers would be temporarily affected by the Terminal 1 work.

The Civil Aviation Ministry met airlines and Adani on October 6.

No outcome has been announced.

The cuts would affect 46 airlines.

The freed-up capacity at Terminal 2 would be used to accommodate domestic traffic shifted from Terminal 1, which is being redeveloped.

Airlines are to either cut flights or relocate them to Navi Mumbai airport.

About 5 million of Mumbai’s 55 million annual passengers, around 9%, would be temporarily affected by the Terminal 1 work, according to Daily Excelsior.

The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, has opposed what it calls forceful relocation.

IATA has said the move should be based on market forces and airlines’ choice and not on mandated relocations.

TradingView, citing Moody’s, reported that airlines rejected the proposal on Friday and repeated their opposition on Sunday.

LatestLY reported that airlines were reluctant to move operations to Navi Mumbai.

As incentives, Adani has offered a one-year waiver on landing charges at Navi Mumbai and cash vouchers to international passengers to offset fee differences, according to Daily Excelsior.

Adani has cited the age of Terminal 1 and an April fire incident, saying the risks of continuing operations have become more pronounced.

The reports available on October 6 did not include the outcome of the meeting.

The first reports of the proposal came on October 3, when the airport operator asked airlines to name the slots to be dropped by 4 pm on October 6.

A slot is the approved time at which an airline may take off from or land at an airport.

Navi Mumbai International Airport began international operations in July 2026, when Air India Express started flights to Abu Dhabi.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Airlines

Mumbai T2 international capacity to fall 33% from October 25 if cuts go ahead

Mumbai International Airport Ltd has threatened to cut 265 of 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, citing the Terminal 1 redevelopment, and has asked airlines to name the slots by 4 pm on October 6.

Published

1 week ago

October 3, 2026

Dailyviewer

International departure capacity at Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport would fall by about 33% from October 25 if the cuts go ahead.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd has threatened to discontinue 265 of 770 weekly slots.

The cuts would affect 46 airlines.

The airport operator cited the Terminal 1 redevelopment.

Airlines have until October 6 to respond.

The redevelopment requires moving about 5 million passengers a year from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.

IndiGo faces a cut of 74 weekly slots and Air India 33.

Emirates and Etihad Airways each face a cut of 10 weekly departures.

Akasa Air faces a cut of 11 slots, Air India Express 7 and SpiceJet 5.

MIAL has asked airlines to identify the specific departure slots they want to discontinue by 4 pm on October 6.

For airlines that do not respond, MIAL will decide the cuts itself.

The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, has opposed compulsory airline relocations.

IATA has argued for voluntary transfers and for protecting existing slot entitlements during the transition.

A slot is the approved time at which an airline may take off from or land at an airport.

The reports did not include a direct statement from the government or the airlines on the proposed cut.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and Terminal 2 opened in 2014.

October 25, 2026 is the last Sunday of October, the date on which the northern winter flight schedule normally begins.

Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet are Indian carriers, while Emirates and Etihad Airways are Gulf carriers.

The cuts are proposed on weekly international departure slots, which means the figures describe flights each week, not a single day.

IATA is the trade body that represents airlines worldwide.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd, or MIAL, has threatened to temporarily discontinue 265 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, 2026.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0