Why are flights being cancelled Gatwick?

What caused the cancellations? There is currently a shortage of Nats staff, who run the air traffic control operations at Gatwick. The airport said that 30 per cent of Nats workers are ?currently unavailable for a variety of medical reasons including Covid?.



As of late February 2026, flight cancellations at London Gatwick (LGW) are primarily driven by the "tail-end" effects of Storm Hernando, which has caused significant operational fragility across the UK aviation network. While the worst of the winds may have passed, the "knock-on" effects are substantial: aircraft and crews were left "out of position" globally, leading to tactical cancellations as airlines like British Airways and easyJet scramble to reset their schedules. Additionally, Gatwick is currently facing "Air Traffic Control (ATC) Flow Management" restrictions. Due to ongoing staffing shortages at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and the need for safe spacing between flights in turbulent weather, the number of arrivals and departures per hour has been temporarily reduced. This "flow control" means that even if a specific flight's plane is ready, it may be cancelled if the airport cannot accommodate its slot. Travelers are also experiencing delays related to the rollout of the UK's new ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) system, which has slightly increased processing times at check-in, further complicating the turnaround of short-haul rotations.

People Also Ask

There are several reasons why flights may be canceled, including bad weather, air traffic restrictions, lack of airplane or staff, technical problems, and low passenger numbers.

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If airlines cancel a flight for any reason, passengers are legally entitled to a full refund, including for ticket price, taxes, baggage fees, extra charges and ancillary fees. Travelers must receive that refund within seven business days if they paid by credit card, and within 20 days if by cash or check.

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' If you're short on time, here's a quick answer to your question: Yes, in many cases, especially during significant delays or cancellations not due to extraordinary circumstances, airlines may cover the cost of hotel accommodations for passengers.

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To be clear, passengers flying in the U.S. are already entitled to refunds when a flight is canceled or significantly delayed. No matter the cause — weather-related or not — airlines must pay passengers back for the unused portion of their ticket if the passenger ultimately chooses not to fly.

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Frontier Airlines has had the worst on-time arrival performance so far in 2023. Just 65.41% of Frontier flights arrived on time from January through April 2023. The next-worst airlines were Hawaiian Airlines (66.39%) and Spirit Airlines (66.97%).

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Perhaps even more significant is the stark drop over the past year. August 2023 U.S. airfares averaged 13% lower than what they were in August 2022. Things get especially interesting when compared to pre-pandemic prices.

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There are several reasons why flights may be canceled, including bad weather, air traffic restrictions, lack of airplane or staff, technical problems, and low passenger numbers.

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For the first six months of 2023, 1.6% of flights have been canceled, far below the 3.2% cancellation rate for the first six months of last year and the 2.4% cancellation rate for first six months of pre-pandemic 2019.

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Wizz Air was the worst major airline for flight delays from the UK last year, according to an investigation. The figures, from the Civil Aviation Authority and reported by the PA news agency, found that the Hungarian carrier's UK departures were an average of 46 minutes and six seconds behind schedule last year.

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BTS data from July 2021 to June 2022 shows Hawaiian performed best of all U.S. airlines with just a 0.81% cancellation rate. Delta took second place again — with a cancellation rate of 1.63%. Meanwhile, merger partners JetBlue (3.81%) and Spirit Airlines (4.11%) canceled the highest percentage of all flights.

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What is the longest flight in the world by distance? The longest flight in the world by distance is New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines clocking in at 9,537 miles. What plane can fly the farthest in the world?

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So if your flight is delayed by 2 hours, there is no compensation. However, you can make a different claim. For example, if your flight is delayed by two hours or more, your airline must take care of you by offering you support services. These can be very different.

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Based on flight status data, flights after 3 p.m. have a 50 percent higher chance of being canceled, on average, than those that depart earlier in the day. Early morning on-time performance is all thanks to the thin air traffic.

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