Topline
More than 1,000 flights in the U.K. were canceled on Tuesday after the country’s national air traffic agency experienced an issue with its flight processing system, which has since been resolved but resulted in the U.K.’s largest airport, London Heathrow, suspending arrivals for the remainder of the day.
Passengers wait inside and around London Heathrow Airport following widespread flight delays and cancellations caused by a technical failure in National Air Traffic Services’ (NATS) flight processing system in London, United Kingdom,
Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images
Key Facts
National Air Traffic Services, which manages air traffic control in the U.K., said the technical issue was to blame for disruptions to flight departures that hammered British Airways flights and airports including London Heathrow Airport, Manchester Airport, London Gatwick and London Stansted.
The issue lasted around six hours and was resolved around 2:30 p.m. EDT, though National Air Traffic Services acknowledged a backlog of flights that still needed to be sorted.
British Airways said in a statement it canceled or diverted over 100 flights, “inconveniencing tens of thousands of customers.”
London Heathrow recorded 476 flight cancellations and 304 delays as of Tuesday night, announcing around 9 p.m. local time it was suspending arrivals for the remainder of Tuesday.
Manchester Airport said after the air traffic issue was resolved it expected disruptions to continue for the rest of the day, noting it “may be busier” Wednesday due to rescheduled flights.
What We Don’t Know
What exactly caused the disruption. Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of National Air Traffic Services, told the BBC his agency has launched a full investigation into the matter.
Chief Critic
Ryanair chief operating officer Neal McMahon called for Rolfe’s resignation Tuesday, according to The Telegraph, saying National Air Traffic Services was “not fit for purpose” and the agency “should not repeatedly bring the aviation system to a standstill.” Rolfe did not tell the BBC whether he would resign or not, insisting he was focused on the issues experienced Tuesday and the investigation into them.
Key Background
National Air Traffic Services also experienced technical issues last summer, when a radar glitch lasted for roughly four hours and resulted in over 120 canceled flights. Flight disruptions continued hours after the issue was resolved, with the U.K. Department of Transportation launching an investigation into the radar system failure. Ryanair also called for Rolfe’s resignation during the incident, pointing out “mismanagement and staff shortages” within National Air Traffic Services.
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