Software glitch caused travel chaos, says air traffic control body
The failure led to more than 2,000 flights being cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.
A software glitch led to widespread travel disruption, according to the UK's National Air Traffic Services (Nats). The failure resulted in over 2,000 flights being cancelled and affected hundreds of thousands of passengers, with some having to sleep on airport floors or become stranded abroad. Flights in and out of the UK's major airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, and Glasgow, were impacted.
The incident has raised questions about the resilience of Nats' systems. Some airlines have also questioned the position of the chief executive, Martin Rolfe. The government had previously ruled out the possibility of a cyber attack, and the Ministry of Defence has denied reports that a military aircraft was responsible.
Nats' initial report indicated that the defect occurred in the system that underpins the management of UK airspace. The problem happened in the space of a millisecond, causing the system to produce corrupted data. Air traffic controllers were then left with reduced information, prompting restrictions to be put in place to limit air traffic and maintain safety.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- 'Software issue' caused UK flight chaos this month: Operator channelnewsasia.com
