A radar-related technical failure at the UK's air traffic control centre caused the cancellation of more than 150 flights on Wednesday, with most disruption at Heathrow Airport. The glitch, lasting about 20 minutes, forced Nats to switch to a backup system and reduce traffic temporarily. Flights resumed within an hour, but some cancellations carried into Thursday due to aircraft and crew being out of position.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe on Thursday, describing the incident as an 'isolated event' with 'no evidence of malign activity'. She said she was 'grateful to airlines working hard to get people to where they need to be' and advised passengers to check with airlines before travelling.
Ryanair renewed its call for Rolfe's resignation, claiming no lessons had been learned since the August 2023 system outage. This is the third time in a month the airline has demanded his removal, part of a broader campaign against Nats and air traffic control services.
Business Minister Gareth Thomas said it appeared measures taken after the 2023 failure were not enough, while former air traffic management director Graham Lake noted that technical failures are unavoidable but praised the quick recovery.
