BIRMINGHAM — Hundreds of passengers faced significant travel disruption on Sunday night, January 11, 2026, after Birmingham Airport (BHX) was forced to suspend all incoming flights due to a major radar failure.
The technical outage, which began late in the evening, left aircraft circling in holding patterns before being diverted to alternative hubs across the UK While departing flights were able to continue with some delays, the lack of radar surveillance meant that arrivals were deemed unsafe for several hours.
NATS Blames Weather for Power Outage
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which manages the UK’s airspace, issued a formal apology for the chaos. According to a spokesperson, the radar malfunction was triggered by a power outage at a key NATS site, which was reportedly caused by severe weather conditions in the area.
Engineers worked alongside the National Grid throughout the night to rectify the issue. National Grid later confirmed they had responded to power cuts in the Shropshire area, which affected the vital infrastructure serving the airport.
Flight Diversions and Reroutes
The closure forced air traffic controllers to reroute dozens of flights. Notable diversions included:
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport: Received flights from Dublin, Murcia, and Gran Canaria.
- East Midlands Airport: Accommodated arrivals from Tenerife, Marrakech, and Malaga.
- Manchester and Stansted: Served as backup hubs for various international arrivals.
One specific example of the logistical hurdles faced by airlines was TUI flight BY741 from Boa Vista. The aircraft was forced to divert to Bristol Airport at approximately 10 PM. After waiting for the radar issues to be resolved and the situation at BHX to stabilize, the plane performed a short 30-minute “hop” back to Birmingham in the early hours of Monday morning to deliver passengers to their final destination.
A Double Blow for Birmingham
This incident marks the second time in less than a week that Birmingham Airport has seen major disruption. Just days prior, the airport was forced to suspend operations due to heavy snow, leading to a backlog of flights and frustrated travelers.
Operations at Birmingham Airport began to return to normal around 1:30 AM on Monday, after the radar system was successfully restored. However, officials warned that knock-on delays would likely affect the Monday morning schedule as aircraft and crews were out of position.
