LONDON (AP) — Britain's transport chief, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, has summoned the head of the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) to discuss a significant technical issue that led to the grounding and diversion of numerous flights across the UK on Wednesday. This incident resulted in the cancellation of more than 150 flights, disrupting travel plans for hundreds of passengers.
The technical problem at the Swanwick control center was reported at 4:05 p.m. on Wednesday, with NATS stating that the system returned to full operational capacity by 5:10 p.m. This interruption forced NATS to limit the number of aircraft operating in the London area, significantly impacting flight schedules.
In her efforts to address the situation, Secretary Alexander has scheduled a meeting with NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe on Thursday to gain insight into the incident and discuss preventative measures for the future. Business Minister Gareth Thomas commented on the situation, emphasizing the need to understand the failure, which echoes a similar incident that occurred two years ago. Thomas noted, “Clearly, an incident happened two years ago and measures were taken then. It looks like those measures weren’t enough, but we need to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.”
British Airways was one of the airlines most affected by the disruption, as the technical issue forced the carrier to decrease its flight rate from 45 to 32 per hour for over two hours. Such a reduction in operational capacity raised frustrations among airlines and passengers alike, as flight disruptions became inevitable during peak travel times.
Despite the industry’s frustrations, experts point out that technical failures are an unavoidable reality in sectors reliant on advanced systems. Graham Lake, a former director general of the air traffic management industry association Canso, articulated this perspective during an interview with the BBC. He stated, “There are technical failures in all industries. I’m a regular rail user; certainly, there are signal failures practically every day, so we accept technical failures.” Lake emphasized the importance of developing contingency plans to ensure that operations remain safe and effective despite such disruptions.
Historically, NATS has faced multiple software-related issues since its inception in 2002. Most recently, a glitch in August 2023 forced flight plans to be processed manually instead of automatically, resulting in hundreds of delays and cancellations during the peak summer holiday period. This incident affected approximately 700,000 passengers, highlighting the ongoing challenges NATS faces in maintaining a robust air traffic management system.
In light of these recurring issues, the upcoming discussions between Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and NATS leadership are crucial to addressing the shortcomings in air traffic management and ensuring a more reliable service in the future. As authorities strive to understand and rectify the recent disruptions, the emphasis remains on enhancing operational resilience to mitigate the impact of technical failures moving forward.
