Key facts
- Nats CEO Martin Rolfe will meet UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
- Over 1,300 flights have been cancelled due to a technical issue at Nats.
- The disruption has affected hundreds of thousands of passengers for two days.
- Rolfe stated a cyber-attack has been ruled out as the cause.
- The fault occurred in the flight processing system but was not identical to previous failures.
The head of UK air traffic control provider Nats, Martin Rolfe, is scheduled to meet with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander as widespread flight disruptions continue for a second day. The technical issue, which began Tuesday afternoon, has led to over 1,300 flight cancellations, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers across numerous UK airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and Stansted.
Rolfe has stated that a cyber-attack has been ruled out as the cause of the problem, which he described as a "technical issue" within the flight processing system. He defended the resilience of Nats' systems, noting that this specific fault has not occurred before in the company's 50-year operational history, though it is the third major disruption in three years. Nats indicated that the recovery process is complex and will take time to resolve.
However, airline representatives have voiced strong criticism. Yvonne Moynihan, managing director of Wizz Air UK, called for Rolfe to consider resigning, stating that "three strikes and you're out" applies and that accountability is needed. Ryanair's Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon, echoed these sentiments, calling the failure "abhorrent" and urging the government to appoint new leadership for the UK air traffic control system.
Major airports like Heathrow and Gatwick have reported that flights have resumed but warned of continued disruption as airlines work to reposition aircraft and crew. Ryanair stated that over 65,000 passengers have been delayed and 50 flights cancelled, with knock-on effects felt across Europe.