The UK's air traffic services provider, NATS, is facing significant criticism following two major air traffic control failures within a short period. The first incident occurred earlier this month at the NATS main control centre in Swanwick, resulting in over 2,000 flight cancellations over two days and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. Many were left stranded at airports, with some sleeping on the floors.
The second failure happened at the Prestwick centre, which manages air traffic in Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland. Although less severe, it still resulted in approximately 150 flight cancellations and delays impacting tens of thousands of travelers, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
NATS attributed the initial failure to a previously undetected software flaw that was triggered by a unique combination of circumstances. The subsequent issue was linked to a connectivity problem specific to the Scottish air traffic control system. NATS stated that the two incidents were unrelated.
This pattern of failures raises concerns about the reliability of NATS' systems. In August 2023, a problem with a flight plan caused significant disruptions over a bank holiday weekend, affecting 700,000 passengers. Two years prior, a radar-related issue led to a four-hour disruption and 150 flight cancellations.
NATS manages one of the busiest airspaces in Europe, handling up to 8,000 flights daily, including approaches to major airports like Heathrow and Gatwick. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2, criticized the situation, stating that it is unacceptable for such critical infrastructure to fail repeatedly. EasyJet echoed this sentiment, calling for firm actions to address the resilience of NATS' systems.
A NATS spokesperson acknowledged the issues, emphasizing that while technology can fail, safety remains the top priority. Behind the scenes, airlines are reportedly frustrated with the ongoing disruptions and the associated costs of refunds and passenger care. Ryanair has called for the resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, while Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has expressed dissatisfaction with the situation but has not indicated plans for leadership changes.
The government has requested the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to conduct an independent review of the initial incident, which is expected to take six months. Until the report is completed, no immediate actions are anticipated. Rolfe has stated he has no intention of resigning, highlighting the complexity of the systems involved and the challenges in preventing obscure faults.
The growing impatience with NATS' failures is evident among both airlines and passengers, who are increasingly affected by the disruptions.