UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Transport minister Heidi Alexander is set to meet the UK air traffic chief after the latest technical failure, prompting fresh calls for his resignation.
As reported by The Guardian, Heidi Alexander has summoned the head of the UK’s air traffic control service, Nats, following a system failure on Wednesday, 30 July, that caused widespread delays and cancellations.
What did Heidi Alexander say about the Nats’ flight chaos?
Heidi Alexander said she would hold talks with Martin Rolfe, chief executive of Nats, to “understand what happened and how we can prevent reoccurrence” after another system failure.
The glitch resulted in more than 150 flight cancellations, intensifying scrutiny of the UK’s air traffic control system.
However, Ms Alexander is not expected to urge the Nats chief to resign, despite fresh calls for Martin Rolfe to step down from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
She added,
“Nats are working closely with airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely and look after passengers. I will be meeting the Nats’ chief executive today to understand what happened and how we can prevent reoccurrence.”
Reason for Heathrow flight chaos
Heathrow was hit the hardest, with 84 flights out and 71 coming in cancelled by 10 pm Wednesday. Several incoming aircraft were rerouted to other European cities.
British Airways cancelled several flights on Thursday due to aircraft being out of place and crew availability issues, resulting in at least 16 cancellations at Heathrow.
Both Heathrow and Gatwick confirmed operations had returned to normal later in the day. It was the second tech issue to hit Nats’ Swanwick base since 2023, though this one led to fewer delays than the chaos during last year’s August holiday.
Sources say the problem might be linked to radar systems, but NATS hasn’t confirmed the exact cause. The disruption lasted about 20 minutes, and flights were back on schedule within an hour.
What did a source say about the air traffic outage?
A source said the disruption was caused by a genuine software error, leading staff to switch to backup operations.
The source added,
“This was a genuine software error and the back-up systems worked as they should. They run a different programme, so there is no chance of the same issue happening twice.”
What did Nats say about the system fault?
Nats stated,
“Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area.”
They added,
“We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Department for Transport’s views on the technical glitch
A Department for Transport spokesman stated,
“While passengers should continue to check with individual airports for advice, Nats have confirmed their systems are now fully operational and flights are returning to normal.”
They added,
“We are working closely with Nats to understand the cause of the technical issue and the implications for the resilience systems in place.”
What did Gareth Thomas say about Rolfe’s future?
Gareth Thomas, business minister, stated,
“Clearly, an incident happened two years ago and measures were taken then. It looks like those measures weren’t enough, but we need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, and conversations will take place today.”
What did Ed Davey say about the air traffic failure?
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged the government to investigate whether Nats was targeted by a foreign cyberattack.
He said,
“It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault.”
Mr Davey added,
“The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause.”
What did Graham Lake say about the air traffic failure?
Graham Lake, an ex-director general of the air traffic management industry association Canso, said,
“I think it’s unrealistic to expect a system where you have no technical failure. The failure yesterday was short and sweet, the recovery was quick – aircraft were operating again very, very quickly.”