"UK air traffic control chief called by minister over recent system failure"

Transport Secretary Seeks Answers from Nats Chief After Air Traffic Disruption

The transport secretary has called upon the head of the UK’s air traffic control service, Nats, to explain the technical failure that caused widespread flight cancellations and delays on Wednesday.

Heidi Alexander stated she would meet with Martin Rolfe, Nats’ chief executive, to “understand what occurred and how similar disruptions can be avoided” after more than 150 flights were canceled and many others delayed.

While some have urged Rolfe to step down, it is understood that Alexander will not demand his resignation. The disruption primarily affected Heathrow, where 84 departures and 71 arrivals were canceled by late Wednesday. Some inbound flights were rerouted to other European cities.

A handful of British Airways flights remained canceled on Thursday due to aircraft and crew being out of position, resulting in at least 16 additional cancellations at Heathrow. Both Heathrow and Gatwick airports reported normal operations had resumed.

This marks the second technical failure at Nats’ Swanwick control center in two years, though the impact was smaller and resolved more swiftly than the major outage during the 2023 August bank holiday.

In a social media post, Alexander stated that Nats was collaborating with airlines and airports to manage the backlog and assist affected passengers, adding that she would speak with Rolfe directly about preventing future incidents.

Early reports suggested radar systems may have been responsible for the issue, but Nats has not yet confirmed the exact cause. The problem began around 4pm on Wednesday, with disruptions lasting roughly 20 minutes before normal operations were restored.

Ryanair has renewed its calls for Rolfe to resign, arguing that insufficient improvements have been made since the 2023 incident. The airline had previously criticized Nats’ performance on multiple occasions.

When questioned about potential consequences for Rolfe, business minister Gareth Thomas emphasized the need to fully investigate the incident before conclusions are drawn.

Graham Lake, a former director of air traffic management association Canso, noted that while technical failures are inevitable in complex systems, the swift recovery demonstrated the resilience of the network.