Second UK Air Traffic Control Glitch Triggers Flight Disruptions, Airlines Demand Reform

Airlines have criticised the UK's air traffic control system after a second technical problem in two weeks caused major disruption to flights across the country. The disruption affected flights across the UK, with cancellations and delays reported at major airports.

The technical problem was reported at the Prestwick centre in Ayrshire, which handles air traffic control for a large part of the UK. It affected airports in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. More than 200 flights were delayed, and preliminary data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed at least 117 departing and 110 arriving flights were cancelled.

National Air Traffic Services (Nats), which runs UK air traffic control, said a "connectivity issue" was responsible. It added that the problem had "nothing to do" with a separate software defect at its Swanwick centre earlier in September, which led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights. Nats said the underlying issue on Monday had been resolved and it was operating at "full capacity", though officials warned of knock-on delays. A spokesperson said they were "focused on working with our customers to recover their residual delays and help get their operations back to normal".

EasyJet was the worst affected airline, with 47 of its 670 scheduled departures cancelled. British Airways cancelled 12 of its 513 scheduled departures. Ryanair said 140 of its flights and 25,000 passengers were affected. Other airlines also reported cancellations and delays.

The cancellations and delays left thousands of passengers facing uncertainty. Many took to social media to express frustration, while airports advised travellers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passengers whose flights were disrupted were "unlikely" to be entitled to compensation. It explained that the technical issue is "likely to be considered the result of 'extraordinary circumstances' under passenger rights rules", meaning that while airlines should look after passengers, they are unlikely to receive compensation for delays or cancellations directly caused by the incident. The CAA added that passengers should be provided with assistance such as meals and accommodation if stranded overnight. The CAA said it would monitor the situation.

Airlines have reacted with frustration. EasyJet said Monday's incident "once again calls into question the resilience" of the air traffic control service. Wizz Air described a "national confidence crisis" in Nats. Industry body Airlines UK said both passengers and airlines "deserve better" after "yet another Nats failure".

Yvonne Moynihan, managing director of Wizz Air UK, called for "urgent reform" of Nats and said she did not have confidence in its current leadership. Asked by BBC Radio 4's World at One whether Nats chief Martin Rolfe should resign, she said: "We need to look at the leadership at the top. But more than that, what are the board of directors doing?"

Jet2 boss Steve Heapy called for "urgent and accountable" action to bolster the UK's air traffic control infrastructure. Ryanair reiterated its calls for Rolfe to resign, saying he had failed to deliver "either a reliable system or an effective back-up". British Airways said "yet another technical fault with Nats" was "disappointing".

The disruption comes amid growing concerns about the reliability of the UK's air traffic control system. The earlier Swanwick incident, which occurred on 2 September, was caused by a software defect and led to the cancellation of around 2,000 flights over several days. It was one of the worst air traffic control failures in the UK in recent years, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Nats is a public-private partnership that provides air traffic control services to airports and en-route traffic across the UK. It handles around 2.5 million flights a year. The CAA is the UK's independent aviation regulator, responsible for safety and consumer protection.

The CAA has advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information. The incidents have highlighted the importance of a resilient air traffic control system for the UK's aviation industry and passengers.