Software defect blamed for UK air traffic control chaos; FTSE 100’s worst day since July; Volkswagen cuts outlook – as it happened
News Source
•Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:56:23 GMT
📰 What Happened
A live business blog covered a busy day of financial news. UK air traffic control operator Nats said a software defect caused last week's outage. The failure disrupted flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The FTSE 100 had its worst day since July, falling about 1.5%. Volkswagen cut its outlook and revealed a 10 billion euro hit. Japan raised interest rates, and UK retail sales rose.
Other stories included Kylian Mbappe signing with the brand On, breaking with Nike. Mothercare faced a highly uncertain future as its Middle East partner planned store closures.
🔍 The Backstory
The Nats outage happened on Tuesday 8 September and stretched into the next day. Airlines cancelled and delayed flights across the UK and beyond. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander called the disruption completely unacceptable.
Central banks in several countries are fighting inflation with higher interest rates. Higher rates can slow economies and affect share prices, which is why markets moved.
🎯 Why It Matters
Flight delays and stock market drops reach ordinary people. They affect holiday plans, savings and the prices shoppers pay in stores.
A live business blog covered a busy day of financial news. UK air traffic control operator Nats said a software defect caused last week's outage. The failure disrupted flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The FTSE 100 had its worst day since July, falling about 1.5%. Volkswagen cut its outlook and revealed a 10 billion euro hit. Japan raised interest rates, and UK retail sales rose.
Other stories included Kylian Mbappe signing with the brand On, breaking with Nike. Mothercare faced a highly uncertain future as its Middle East partner planned store closures.
The Nats outage happened on Tuesday 8 September and stretched into the next day. Airlines cancelled and delayed flights across the UK and beyond. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander called the disruption completely unacceptable.
Central banks in several countries are fighting inflation with higher interest rates. Higher rates can slow economies and affect share prices, which is why markets moved.
Flight delays and stock market drops reach ordinary people. They affect holiday plans, savings and the prices shoppers pay in stores.