UK air traffic control failure cancels nearly 2,000 flights, disrupting over 65,000 Ryanair passengers
A major technical failure in the UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) flight processing system caused nearly 2,000 flight cancellations across 15 UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester. The issue, resolved by Tuesday evening, led to ongoing disruption Wednesday as airlines repositioned aircraft and crew. NATS CEO Martin Rolfe apologized, ruled out cyber attack, and announced a full investigation. Ryanair reported over 65,000 passengers disrupted and demanded Rolfe's resignation, while airlines criticized a third major failure in three years.
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UK air traffic control failure strands thousands, airlines scramble to clear backlog
A major technical failure in Britain's air traffic control system, operated by NATS, caused the cancellation of over 1,750 flights and severe delays across 15 UK airports and beyond. The disruption, which began on Tuesday, was attributed to an issue in the flight processing system. While the original technical problem was resolved by Tuesday afternoon, airlines and airports struggled to clear a massive backlog of delayed and canceled flights on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded for hours in terminals and on runways. Airlines expressed fury, demanding NATS CEO Martin Rolfe consider resigning after a second air traffic meltdown in three years. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with Rolfe and gave him one week to complete a full investigation. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office stated Rolfe retains the government's confidence. Passengers, including cartoonist Charlie Adlard, reported a lack of information and difficulty contacting airlines, with some abandoning their journeys after incurring significant costs. Heathrow Airport urged passengers to check flight status before traveling.
Read sourceUK Air Traffic Control Failure Causes Nearly 2,000 Flight Cancellations, Disruption Continues
A major technical failure in UK air traffic control systems led to nearly 2,000 flight cancellations yesterday, according to analytics firm Cirium. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed the problem has been resolved but warned of ongoing disruption today. The incident affected 15 UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted. NATS CEO Martin Rolfe apologized and announced a full investigation. Passengers were stranded overnight at airports as nearby hotels filled up. Airline executives called for urgent reform, with Wizz Air UK noting this is the third summer of such disruptions. Ryanair demanded Rolfe's resignation, claiming over 65,000 of its passengers were affected. Multiple airports including Heathrow, Bristol, Cardiff, and Manchester reported operations returning to normal but warned of residual delays as aircraft and crew are repositioned. Passengers are advised to check with airlines before traveling.
Read sourceUK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels Nearly 2,000 Flights; Disruption Continues
A major technical failure in the UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) caused nearly 2,000 flight cancellations yesterday, according to analytics firm Cirium. The issue, which affected 15 UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester, has been resolved but further disruption is expected as airlines reposition aircraft and crew. NATS CEO Martin Rolfe apologized and announced a full investigation. Passengers were left sleeping on airport floors as nearby hotels filled up. Airline executives called for urgent reform, with Wizz Air UK noting this is the third summer of such problems. Ryanair demanded Rolfe's resignation, claiming over 65,000 of its passengers were disrupted. Airports including Aberdeen, Belfast International, Bristol, Cardiff, Heathrow, London Luton, Manchester, and Southampton issued updates advising passengers to check with airlines before traveling. Operations are mostly recovering but knock-on delays persist.
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UK air traffic chief rules out cyber attack after massive disruption at Heathrow
The head of UK air traffic control services, Martin Rolfe, stated on Wednesday that a cyber attack has been ruled out as the cause of a major software issue that disrupted hundreds of thousands of passengers on Tuesday. The technical problem, which affected National Air Traffic Services (NATS) systems, led to the cancellation of 1,300 flights to and from UK airports, with London's Heathrow Airport being the hardest hit. Other airports including Stansted, Gatwick, Birmingham, and Manchester were also severely impacted. Although the issue was resolved by 7:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, travel disruption continued into Wednesday due to a backlog of flights, misplaced aircraft and crews, and staff reaching shift limits. Rolfe noted that this incident is unprecedented in 50 years of operations and that a thorough investigation will be conducted. Airlines have criticized NATS for what they describe as a third major failure in three years.
Read sourceAir traffic control issue that led to dozens of Irish flight cancellations resolved
A technical issue affecting air traffic control services at many UK airports, which led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, has been resolved, according to provider Nats. The disruption caused dozens of flight cancellations at Dublin Airport, with 43 outbound and 30 inbound flights cancelled on Tuesday. Nats said its recovery from the issue, which forced the cancellation of more than 400 flights, had taken longer than hoped but was now resolved. Ryanair reported over 65,000 passengers disrupted and more than 50 flights cancelled, while British Airways cancelled or diverted over 100 flights. Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepted full responsibility for the incident, but Ryanair COO Neal McMahon called for his resignation, citing repeated failures. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander sought assurances that lessons would be learned. Travel journalist Simon Calder warned of knock-on effects on Wednesday, with Heathrow suspending arrivals from 8 pm on Tuesday.
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