More than 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled on Tuesday, September 8, with another 177 already grounded for today, as the country's airport industry remains in chaos. The disruption began with a system breakdown at Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports, and has affected tens of thousands of passengers.
What happened and which airports are affected
The majority of flights already axed on Wednesday are departing from London Heathrow. Ripple effects are anticipated across airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted as additional delays loom. Travel journalist Simon Calder warned the knock-on consequences on Wednesday were "going to be horrible". Calder added: "There are going to be dozens of cancellations in the morning of flights coming into Heathrow because, basically, the flights didn't go out tonight."
Ryanair revealed more than 65,000 of its passengers had been disrupted and it had axed more than 50 scheduled flights. British Airways (BA) said it was compelled to cancel or divert more than 100 flights on Tuesday which had affected "tens of thousands of customers".
Reaction from airlines and Nats
Airlines have savagely slammed Nats' chief executive officer Martin Rolfe after some passengers were left stranded on aircraft on tarmacs for hours, with some reporting they had no access to food or drink or toilet facilities. Speaking to Sky News, he said: "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." Luton Airport confirmed early on Wednesday that the airport was "open and operational", but added: "Some flights may still be subject to disruption and passengers are advised to check their flight status directly before travelling to the airport."
Compensation and passenger rights
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, it all comes down to UK Reg (EU) No. 261/2004. In short, if your flight departing the UK, or arriving on a UK or EU airline, is cancelled, heavily delayed (over three hours), or overbooked, it legally entitles you to care, re-routing, or financial compensation up to £520, provided the airline is at fault.
You may also be entitled to compensation if the delay means you reach your destination airport more than three hours late. If the delay is more than five hours, you can choose not to travel and receive a refund. Airlines do not have to pay compensation if they consider the delay to be caused by "extraordinary circumstances" – although the CAA doesn't state what happens if the issue was caused by something like NATs.
What else you can get
Regardless of the reason for the delay, the CAA states that airlines must give you: food and drink based on how long your delay is; two phone calls or emails; and accommodation (if your flight is delayed overnight) and transport between the airport and that accommodation.
