Air traffic control provider comes under fire after second issue in two weeks
Nats said the latest fault was fixed after delays hit more than 25,000 Ryanair passengers and disrupted flights across the UK.
- On Monday, National Air Traffic Services experienced a connectivity issue at its Prestwick centre in Scotland, disrupting flights across northern regions. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed engineers fixed the problem and systems are resuming, though some delays may continue during the reset.
- Monday's incident marked the second air traffic control disruption within two weeks, unrelated to a software defect on September 8 that caused more than 2,000 flight cancellations. That earlier fault happened in the space of a millisecond, Nats reported.
- Ryanair reported more than 25,000 passengers faced disruption and more than 140 flights were delayed on Monday. EasyJet said the incident "calls into question the resilience of Nats systems" and demonstrates the need for firm preventive actions.
- Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy stated it was "simply not good enough for this critical national infrastructure to keep letting customers down." Ryanair's chief operations officer Neal McMahon called for Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign over repeated system failures.
- Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade said the Civil Aviation Authority report and forthcoming Civil Aviation Bill must address underlying weaknesses in the system. With Nats handling about 2.5 million flights annually, industry bodies urgently need lasting solutions to prevent future disruptions.
12 Articles
12 Articles
A technical problem at Prestwick air traffic control centre has caused delays and cancellations to flights in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland - NATS has announced that the fault has been repaired, however the effects continue
Second technical issue in 2 weeks afflicts UK's air traffic controller, prompting more travel chaos
A technical issue has disrupted flights in and out of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England, the second in two weeks. Although the issue has been fixed, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the repercussions will continue to be…
Evening Standard
Air traffic control provider comes under fire after second issue in two weeks
Airlines expressed their dismay and anger at ‘yet another’ incident and Ryanair repeated its calls for Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign.
Airlines Blast UK Air Traffic Control Operator Over Second Computer Meltdown in Less Than Two Weeks: 'Enough is Enough'
Airlines and passenger rights groups are lining up to put the UK’s air traffic control operator on blast after yet another computer meltdown, this time affecting Scottish airspace, left passengers facing lengthy delays and cancellations as engineers raced to fix the technical hitch. The latest malfunction occurred early on Monday morning at the Prestwick control…
The UK Air Traffic Control Service (NATS) said a "technical problem" at its center in Scotland had been fixed, but the effects would be felt for at least the rest of the day, with domestic flights canceled or delayed across the UK. "We are working with airports and airlines to lift restrictions as quickly and safely as possible...
Passengers who travelled to and from the UK on Monday faced delays and cancellations of flights after air traffic control systems suffered a "technical problem" for the second time this month. The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair asked the Director General of the air traffic operator NATS, Martin Rolfe, [...]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
