NEWS
Nats has promised a ‘thorough investigation’ into the cause of Monday’s system failure that resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of UK flights
Flight experts call for ‘reality check’ after ATC meltdown
Ian Taylor
The extent of disruption to UK air traffic on Monday could not be avoided, with aviation sources demanding “a reality check” following the meltdown caused by a system failure at air traffic control provider Nats. Flight schedules
appeared to have returned near to normal as Travel Weekly went to press after almost 1,600 flights were cancelled on Monday, although media reports suggested flights remained “significantly disrupted”. The UK’s largest carrier easyJet
However, British Airways STORY TOP
reported “continuing knock-on effects of yesterday’s Nats issue” including “unavoidable delays and cancellations” and said: “We’re advising customers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport. Any customers who have their flight cancelled are being rebooked on other BA flights and alternative carriers.” Aviation analytics firm
Cirium reported 790 departing flights and 785 incoming
reported “operations largely back to normal”, with a spokesperson saying: “We cancelled a few flights on Tuesday morning, but the schedule is now back on track and there is nothing to suggest that will change for the rest of the week.”
travelweekly.co.uk
services were cancelled on Monday, 27% of the total, with most other flights delayed after a “technical issue” with Nats’ flight-planning system. Heathrow saw the highest number
of cancellations, followed by Gatwick and Manchester. The fault was fixed in just over three hours. However, Nats warned: “It will take some time for flights to return to normal.” Passengers complained of poor
communication by carriers and limited staff availability, and agents called for improved information for the trade. Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said argued: “It’s critical airlines remain in close contact with agents and tour operators so they can provide support.” However, a leading airline source
insisted: “This was unexpected on an exceptionally busy day. The outcome could only be terrible. It caused a meltdown in the schedule. “There is criticism there were
not enough staff at airports. But airlines had staff at levels for a bank holiday. There is criticism airlines’ communications weren’t good enough. But airlines didn’t know what was happening. It was a complete meltdown.” The source explained: “Departing
flights took priority because airports were overflowing. Everything in the air had to be prioritised.
“Then the length of an outage
makes a difference – every hour it goes on has a disproportionate outcome [on the extent of disruption]. Crews fall ‘out of hours’, and aircraft are in the wrong place. “Flights were full so you couldn’t
easily rebook people, and airport food and beverage was running out because there were so many people.” A second source insisted: “There
has to be a reality check. Aviation is incredibly complex. The industry has made it look simple but it’s not. There will be lessons. But whatever you do, when something as fundamental as this happens, there is not going to be a good outcome.” Sources dismissed reports on the
cause of the failure as “speculation” and insisted: “There were no safety implications.” Nats promised a “thorough investigation”, with a report passed to the CAA and transport secretary Mark Harper.
31 AUGUST 2023 5
PICTURE: Shutterstock/Ralf Maassen (DTEurope)
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