Air Traffic Control Glitch Disrupts UK Flights
The incident has raised concerns about the reliability of the UK's air traffic control system, with many passengers left frustrated and stranded. As the investigation into the cause of the issue continues, airlines and passengers alike are waiting to see what measures will be taken to prevent such disruptions in the future.
A technical issue at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) centre in southern England caused flights to be suspended at several airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester, resulting in over 100 flight cancellations and delays.
The issue, which occurred at NATS' Swanwick site, limited the number of aircraft in London's air space, causing airports to stop departures. Although NATS quickly resolved the issue, restoring its system and resuming normal operations, airports reported some delays, with Gatwick saying all outbound flights across the UK had been affected.
This is the second major technical issue to hit NATS in recent years, following a systems failure in 2023 that stranded thousands of passengers. The cause of the issue is still unknown, but NATS said it was not cyber-related. The disruption comes at a busy time for travel, with many families preparing for summer holidays.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has summoned the head of National Air Traffic Services (Nats), Martin Rolfe, for a meeting to discuss the recent air traffic control outage. Ryanair has called for Rolfe to resign, citing his "incompetence" and questioning why Nats is not prepared for such incidents. Easyjet and Wizz Air have also expressed disappointment and called for Rolfe to step down.
An investigation into Nats has been called for by the Liberal Democrats, and NATS has apologised and said it is working with airlines to clear the backlog. A former industry chief has defended Rolfe, stating that it is "unrealistic" to expect an air traffic management system with no technical failures.