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Flight cancellations continue after UK air traffic glitch
Flights face ongoing disruptions in the UK after air traffic control glitch leads to hundreds of cancellations
Flights face ongoing disruptions in the UK after air traffic control glitch leads to hundreds of cancellations
– Air traffic control issues caused over 2,000 flight cancellations, stranding many passengers across major UK airports.
– Nats apologised and promised an investigation, while disruptions are expected to persist as schedules recover.
Flight cancellations continue
Nats, the air traffic control provider, has apologised, stating its operations were now “stable” and promised an investigation into this latest incident.
The government expressed confidence in Nats’ leadership, although Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the outage as “unacceptable”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with Nats’ boss, Martin Rolfe, addressing concerns over the extensive disruptions caused.
Downing Street has requested a detailed report from Nats within a week regarding the technical issues experienced.
Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight information, as full recovery of schedules is expected to take several days.
Major UK airports like Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham were most impacted by the cancellations.
At Heathrow, operations are recovering yet remain disrupted due to ongoing repositioning of aircraft and crew.
Gatwick announced that flights have resumed but warned of delays in returning to normal operations.
Some airports, including Manchester and Stansted, reported resuming flights but cautioned about persistent knock-on effects.
Nats has faced similar issues in recent years, notably a major outage during the August 2023 bank holiday that disrupted 700,000 passengers.
Calls from Ryanair and Wizz Air for an overhaul of Nats’ operations highlight ongoing frustrations.
Yvonne Moynihan of Wizz Air suggested Rolfe should step down after three major failures under his leadership.
Despite the ongoing issues, Rolfe praised the UK’s air traffic system, stating it is generally regarded as one of the best globally.
However, former air traffic control manager Doug Maclean argued that repeated outages diminish the system’s reliability.
Phil White from Bexhill shared his experience of being stranded on a plane at Gatwick for hours due to the radar issue.
Even with resolution efforts, the disruption’s legacy may extend because of backlogged flights awaiting departure and arrival slots.
Ongoing disruptions expected
The technical issue was attributed to Nats’ flight data processing system, distinct from the earlier 2023 incident.
Airlines and passengers will continue to face challenges as the situation resolves.