Economy 51
The boss of an air traffic control provider will speak to the Transport Secretary on Wednesday as disruption is set to continue after a technical issue grounded flights. Flight monitoring website Flightradar24 said more than 1,000 flights had been cancelled at UK airports by about 8pm on Tuesday after a system issue hit Nats, which provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports. Tens of thousands of passengers were affected.
Nats’ chief executive officer Martin Rolfe took full responsibility for the incident, stating his focus is on resolving the issue and ensuring passenger safety. Travel journalist Simon Calder described the expected knock-on effects on Wednesday as "horrible," with dozens of cancellations anticipated at Heathrow. Ryanair reported over 65,000 disrupted passengers and cancelled more than 50 flights, while British Airways cancelled or diverted over 100 flights, impacting tens of thousands of customers.
Mr Rolfe faced criticism from Wizz Air and Ryanair, with Ryanair’s Neal McMahon calling for his resignation, citing repeated failures and delays up to eight hours. On Tuesday night, Nats apologized for the disruption and assured ongoing efforts to assist airlines and airports. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is set to meet Mr Rolfe before addressing MPs on the Civil Aviation Bill.
Passenger Josie Donoghue described the experience at Gatwick as a nightmare, with hours spent on the runway before flights were cancelled.
Source: The Independent
