Cyberattack ruled out in UK air traffic glitch as more flights axed

Nearly 300 flights were cancelled across the UK on Wednesday due to a technical glitch at the air traffic control service, NATS, as they worked to recover from a previous outage. The majority of the disrupted flights were to and from London Heathrow, the UK's biggest and one of Europe's busiest airports. Matt Ernster, a 28-year-old returning from his honeymoon in Paris, described the chaotic scene after his delayed return flight.

The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) head, Martin Rolfe, confirmed that they had ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the incident, stating that they do not believe it was a cyberattack. British Airways reported cancelling over 190 flights during the outage, affecting tens of thousands of customers. The incident followed a similar technical glitch in July last year that saw scores of flights cancelled, affecting over 700,000 passengers.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned Rolfe to a meeting, demanding assurances that lessons would be learned and aviation systems were up to the task. Rolfe accepted full responsibility for the incident but declined to say if he was considering resigning. Ryanair, the Irish no-frills airline, called for Rolfe's resignation, accusing him of failing UK travellers.

Heathrow resumed departures after suspending arrivals, but warned that disruption was expected to continue. Healthcare worker Josie Donoghue and Susie Senahe, a traveler from Accra, both reported devastating experiences at UK airports, with Donoghue sleeping at Heathrow terminal and Senahe rebooked onto a later flight. Other airports, including Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh, also reported flight cancellations, while Dublin airport canceled dozens of flights.

Ryanair reported more than 65,000 disrupted passengers, with 50 of its flights cancelled. The disruption impacted English football club Arsenal's Champions League match in Italy, forcing them to cancel a news conference.