Ryanair's outspoken CEO Michael O'Leary has launched a scathing attack on the UK's air traffic control service after a catastrophic technical failure brought the country's skies to a standstill, causing travel misery for thousands of passengers.
The major incident on Monday forced NATS to implement emergency traffic restrictions, resulting in over 300 cancelled flights and severe delays that continue to ripple across European airports. The disruption has particularly affected routes between the UK and Ireland, with Dublin Airport experiencing significant knock-on effects.
O'Leary didn't mince words, branding the situation "unacceptable" and calling for NATS management to urgently address what he called "another unacceptable NATS IT meltdown." The airline boss demanded that the UK air traffic control body explain why its systems failed so dramatically and what contingency plans were in place.
The technical glitch, described by NATS as a "flight data processing system issue," occurred during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, amplifying the impact on holidaymakers and business travellers alike. Passengers faced hours of delays, overnight stays at airports, and in some cases, complete journey cancellations.
European aviation authorities are now facing renewed pressure to address systemic vulnerabilities in air traffic management. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been called upon to implement stronger EU-wide regulations to prevent similar collapses in the future.
Eurocontrol, Europe's air traffic management organisation, confirmed the scale of the disruption, noting that the restrictions affected not just UK airspace but had a domino effect on flights across the continent. The incident has raised serious questions about the resilience of critical aviation infrastructure and the need for substantial investment in backup systems.
As airlines work to clear the backlog of disrupted flights, many passengers face ongoing uncertainty about when they'll reach their destinations, with compensation claims expected to run into millions of pounds.
