UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the recent technical glitch in the UK air traffic control system, which caused significant flight disruptions, an “isolated event.”
Alexander said: “I have spoken with NATS CEO Martin Rolfe who provided further detail on yesterday’s technical fault. This was an isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity.”
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She added: “I know that any disruption is frustrating for passengers. Flights are now resumed and I am grateful to airlines who are working hard to get people to where they need to be.”
The failure, which was radar-related, caused over 150 flight cancellations and delays, particularly affecting operations at Heathrow Airport, where 84 departures and 71 arrivals were cancelled.
Some flights were diverted to other European cities due to the disruption.
A NATS spokesperson explained that the issue was resolved by switching to a backup system, during which traffic was reduced to maintain safety.
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By GlobalDataThe stoppage, which began around 4pm, lasted approximately 20 minutes. NATS reported that systems were fully operational within an hour.
This incident marks the second technical failure at NATS’ Swanwick control centre in two years, although the duration of this stoppage was said to be shorter and the impact less severe compared to the August 2023 outage.
Ryanair has called for Rolfe’s resignation, asserting that lessons have not been learned from previous outage, reported The Guardian.
Graham Lake, a former director general of the air traffic management industry association Canso, noted on BBC Radio: “I think it’s unrealistic to expect a system where you have no technical failure.
According to Lake, the glitch was “short and sweet” and “the recovery was quick”.
