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Air traffi c management
Managing chaos
The grounding of thousands of fl ights in the UK and across Europe in late summer – due to a UK airspace IT failure – caused chaos for days. However, some say that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with Giancarlo Buono, the IATA’s European director for operations, safety and security, and Kirk Chang, professor of management and technology, University of East London, to hear why there’s much more at play than a simple glitch.
I
n recent months, the UK’s airspace has been turbulent, metaphorically speaking. In some cases, those flying through it may not have noticed the troublesome winds the sector has been navigating, but challenges are abundant and disputes commonplace. Industrial action at some of its busiest airports; a shortage of staff as the sector still grapples with rehiring the tens of thousands of positions lost during the pandemic; debilitating skills shortages, partly the result of right-to-work issues following Brexit; and the ongoing financial hangover Covid caused have conspired against the industry. The latest controversy was the announcement by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow NATS Holdings, formerly the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), to raise fees imposed on
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travellers by 25% between now and 2027. NATS, a public–private partnership, oversees the UK’s airspace and has a world-leading safety record stewarded by 4,500 or so employees, including 1,700 air traffic controllers, 650 air traffic service assistants, 1,000 engineers and 1,000 other specialists. But it has its own difficulties – including staff and skills shortages – and is facing growing criticism and scrutiny in equal measure. The CAA’s decision, labelled a “kick in the teeth” for passengers by Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK – echoing the anger and frustration held by members of the industry and public alike – came just weeks after a NATS IT service failure saw over 2,000 flights grounded and many more delayed.
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