World
UK airlines hit as second NATS glitch cancels 150 flights
BBC News··4d ago
UK airlines criticised air traffic control after a second technical problem in two weeks disrupted flights Monday. NATS blamed a Prestwick connectivity issue unrelated to an earlier Swanwick software defect. Cirium counted more than 150 UK cancellations, with EasyJet dropping 48 of 670 departures. The Civil Aviation Authority said compensation was unlikely under extraordinary circumstances rules.
Prism
What It Means For You
- The CAA said airlines should still care for passengers even when compensation rules may not apply.
- An independent CAA review of air traffic resilience is under way with results due within six months.
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the disruption deeply frustrating for travellers.
What's Happening
- EasyJet said the incident again questioned the resilience of the air traffic service.
- Wizz Air UK managing director Yvonne Moynihan called for urgent reform and cited a national confidence crisis.
- Ryanair said 140 of its flights and 25,000 passengers were affected and repeated calls for NATS chief Martin Rolfe to resign.
Passenger rights after outages
- Nats apologised and said technology can fail but safety must never be compromised.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said serious issues need full investigation after recurrence within weeks.
- A September Swanwick millisecond software defect had already triggered major delays earlier this month.
all-news
