Air traffic failure was avoidable, says Transport Secretary
Heidi Alexander order an investigation into a glitch that has caused more than 2,000 flight cancellations.
The UK's air traffic control system experienced a technical failure, causing widespread flight disruption, according to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The system, operated by National Air Traffic Services (Nats), went down for four hours on Tuesday, leading to over 2,000 flights being cancelled. Alexander stated that the issue was avoidable and emphasized the need for tough questions about the resilience of Nats' systems, as well as consumer redress issues.
Nats has apologized for its third major technical fault in three years, but Airlines UK, representing the country's airlines, expressed serious concerns over the technical failure, highlighting that airlines are picking up the bill for the mistakes of others with little financial consequence. The government has confidence in Nats' boss, Martin Rolfe, who has led the organization for 11 years.
Nats, a public-private partnership, has been asked to investigate the incident and report back in one week, while the Civil Aviation Authority has been tasked with conducting an independent review and presenting an update in six months.
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