More than 1,300 flights were cancelled with tens of thousands facing travel chaos for more than 24 hours
Tens of thousands of passengers have been and continue to be stranded after a technical issue grounded incoming and outgoing flights from the UK, yet even after the issue was resolved, travellers still face major disruption.
Airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, have been severely impacted by a technical issue with Nats, a critical aviation system which is essential for flight navigation, leading to more than 1,300 flights being cancelled on Tuesday, September 8.
Yet, after engineers fixed the issue four hours later, more than 177 flights were cancelled early on Wednesday, September 9, nearly all of them at Heathrow. The disruption is set to last throughout the day as the aviation network takes time to recover.
Arrivals at Heathrow were suspended, and while some have resumed, airlines have warned passengers to check flight status before travelling due to ongoing disruption. A Nats spokesperson apologised for the delays and has advised passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.
In the wake of the disruption, Ryanair and Wizz Air have lambasted Nats, saying it is “not fit for purpose” and that the national infrastructure should not repeatedly “bring the aviation system to a standstill”.
As a result, the Air Traffic Control boss – Nats chief executive officer- Martin Rolfe, is expected to be summoned to the Transport Secretary today, September 9.
The Press Association reported that the Nats’ chief executive officer, Martin Rolfe, said he “always accepts full responsibility” when asked if he was considering his position after the incident.
He told Sky News: “I am the CEO of a piece of critical infrastructure, so it is my job to take responsibility for that.
“What I absolutely take responsibility for is keeping people safe and delivering the best service we possibly can on a day like today.
“You will understand my focus is entirely about how we actually resolve this issue, get things back to normal, help our airlines, our airport customers and the travelling public.”
Calls for the CEO’s resignation have been echoed throughout the airline industry, and as the disruption continues into the second day, scrutiny of the Nats system is expected to flare as this is not the first incident in recent years in which the system has failed.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operating officer, called on Mr Rolfe to resign, saying: “How many more failures do passengers have to suffer before overpaid failure Nats CEO Martin Rolfe accepts responsibility for his repeated mismanagement and resigns?
“Over three years after Nats’ catastrophic 2023 system meltdown, it’s clear that nothing has changed, with UK passengers once again suffering avoidable ATC (air traffic control) delays of up to eight hours today due a critical Nats ATC system failing.”
While the system is now operating normally, speaking to the BBC, Martin Rolfe explained that the ‘not fit for purpose’ system has left a huge backlog as recovery is ongoing, with dozens of flights cancelled this morning as a result.
More than 250 flights to and from the UK have been cancelled this morning, with more than 16 cancelled between 7am and 8am at Heathrow.
So, with flights delayed or cancelled, affected passengers have the right to assistance and care. Your flight is covered by UK law, which applies to all those entering or leaving the UK on a UK or EU airline.
When there are significant delays, passengers are entitled to certain care and assistance, such as a reasonable amount of food and drink, a means of communication, accommodation if you are rerouted until the next day, and transportation to and from the provided accommodation.
Compensation is based on the delays and certain airline policies; please check whether you are entitled to further compensation as a result of the disruption this morning.
