Flight delays linked to software problem lasting a millisecond, report says
An air traffic control failure that caused widespread travel chaos earlier this month was triggered by a software defect affecting the system used to manage UK airspace, the national air traffic service Nats has said. The problem happened “in the space of a millisecond”, causing the system to produce corrupted data. The failure led to […]
A software glitch lasting just a millisecond triggered a major air traffic control failure on September 8, disrupting flights across the UK. The National Air Traffic Service (Nats) revealed the defect corrupted data, leading to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the disruption "completely unacceptable," while Airlines UK demanded compensation from Nats.
The issue went unnoticed for two and a half hours before a system restart began at 3:15pm, and restrictions on UK airspace were lifted by 7:30pm. The disruption lasted several days due to planes and crew being left out of position. Nats CEO Martin Rolfe apologized to passengers, stating that safety was not compromised during the incident.
The government ruled out a cyber attack and denied any involvement of a military aircraft. Airlines UK CEO Tim Alderslade emphasized the financial burden on airlines and the need for passengers to receive compensation and assurances that the system would be fixed. One affected passenger, Addie Kitson, faced unexpected costs totaling Ksh17,306 after her flight from China was diverted to Stockholm, where she spent 19 hours awaiting her return home.
Written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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