UK travellers face a second day of disruption as the air traffic control issue is expected to cause more flight cancellations. Tuesday was a difficult day for the aviation industry and passengers, as a technical issue grounded hundreds of planes across major airports.
Passengers trying to reach holidays and weddings waited hours on stranded aircraft, only to be told to come back in the morning. The disruption stemmed from a technical system glitch affecting Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports.
Current cancellations and delays
So far today, 177 flights have been cancelled, mostly at Heathrow Airport, according to tracking website Flightradar24. At Gatwick, most morning flights are listed to depart, but several with delays. An easyJet flight to Nice at 8.30am was listed as cancelled, according to Flightradar24.
Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton said flights are operating today but some disruption might continue, and people should check with their airline. Tens of thousands of passengers were affected yesterday, with Ryanair alone reporting that more than 65,000 of its passengers were caught up.
Recovery and political response
Airlines will continue to grapple with the effects today after aircraft and crew have been left out of place, with passengers urged to check with their airline on the status of their flight. The chief of Nats, Martin Rolfe, was summoned to meet with the Transport Secretary today.
Speaking to Sky News, he said he accepts 'full responsibility,' but refused to answer whether he was considering his position after the glitch. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will face the Commons after speaking with Rolfe for the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill.
Ryanair's chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, called on Rolfe to resign, calling him an 'overpaid failure' CEO. McMahon said: '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.'
Passenger experiences and impact
British former racing driver Martin Brundle said he was stranded on a plane to 'nowhere' at Heathrow for 'nine hours and counting.' He said on social media: 'At a remote parking bay, no food throughout, and mother/baby and a person with a medical condition desperate to get off. As is everyone else. Toilets no longer available as blocked. No sign of steps or buses. And that's before the wait for luggage.'
Nats said in its latest update on Tuesday evening: 'Work is continuing to assist airlines and airports recover from today's disruption.'
'This has been a very complex recovery and has created difficulties for the whole aviation network, from which it will take time to recover. We apologise again for the disruption caused. Passengers should check with their airline on the status of their flight tonight or tomorrow.'
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 1,750 arriving and departing UK flights out of 5,800 were cancelled yesterday.
