Travel chaos as UK airport forced to close with flights cancelled

The airport is set to be closed for almost 10 hours

The airport is set to be shut for three periods throughout today (Thursday, 3 September) with flights and operations being stopped.

This comes due to Air Traffic Control staff sickness and ongoing strikes.

Major disruption at Norwich Airport has caused a number of flights to be cancelled today, notably some operated by KLM.

Norwich Airport saw just under 500,000 passengers pass through its doors in 2025. Image: Adobe Stock.

These include flights KL1054 from Norwich to Amsterdam, KL1055 from Amsterdam to Norwich and KL1056 from Norwich to Amsterdam.

The Mirror reports that all flights to the airport today have been cancelled, although Norwich Airport's departure and arrival board on their website still says a number of flights are operating "as scheduled".

The airport said the cancellations were due to "operational reasons".

In a passenger update, the airport said: "Due to Air Traffic Control staff sickness and ongoing industrial action which limits the flexibility to provide additional staff cover, Norwich Airport will be closed to air traffic on Thursday 3 September during the following periods: 0600 to 1400, 1600 to 1645 and 1845 to 1945."

The airport added: "Passengers should check with their airline for the latest information about their flight before travelling to the airport. We apologise to passengers for the inconvenience this may cause."

The airport said that KLM would be reaching out to affected passengers to contact them about rebooking.

The disruption comes amid an ongoing dispute involving ATC (Air Traffic Control) staff at Norwich Airport.

Prospect union members working in ATC voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike from August 17 in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Norwich Airport said discussions were continuing in an effort to resolve the dispute and asked passengers to continue checking with their airline for the latest information.