The leader of the UK’s air traffic control provider is under pressure to step down after the second technical failure in two years disrupted flights.
Hundreds of flights faced delays when the air traffic control (ATC) system experienced a 20-minute outage on Wednesday.
Nats, the operator of the system, attributed the issue to a technical fault and confirmed it had been fixed. The incident sparked concerns of a repeat of the August 2023 chaos, when hundreds of thousands of travelers saw their flights delayed or canceled.
British Airways had to limit arrivals and departures at Heathrow to 32 per hour until 7:15 p.m., after which operations were expected to return to the normal rate of 45 an hour.
Reports suggest the UK National Cyber Security Centre does not suspect a cyberattack.
Ryanair demanded the resignation or dismissal of Nats CEO Martin Rolfe. The airline’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, stated: “It is unacceptable that travelers are again facing delays because of Martin Rolfe’s ongoing mismanagement of Nats.
“Another ATC system failure has forced UK airspace to close, disrupting thousands of journeys. Clearly, nothing has been learned since the August 2023 outage, and passengers continue to suffer due to Rolfe’s incompetence.”
McMahon added that if Rolfe did not resign, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander should act immediately to replace him and overhaul Nats’ unreliable ATC system to prevent further avoidable delays.
By around 5 p.m., Nats announced that engineers had fixed the affected system and were working to restore normal operations.
The issue restricted air traffic capacity across England and Wales, leaving many aircraft and crew out of place. Airports advised travelers to check with airlines for updates, with Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport warning of potential delays for remaining flights.
Several incoming flights were forced to circle or divert. Nats confirmed the problem originated at its Swanwick control center in Hampshire.
Alexander stated: “I am aware of today’s technical issue at Nats, which caused travel delays. Systems have now been restored, but ongoing disruptions are likely, so passengers should check airport updates.”
In August 2023, over 700,000 passengers were affected by a similar Nats system failure.
A government spokesperson said passengers should continue checking with airlines for the latest information.
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