Airlines criticise air traffic control as second glitch causes more disruption

Airlines have voiced their criticism of the UK's air traffic control system following a second technical failure in just two weeks. EasyJet reported that Monday's incident once again raises questions about the reliability of the service. Wizz Air described the situation as a "national confidence crisis" with the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) running the UK's air traffic.

The technical issue at Prestwick in Ayrshire caused delays at airports across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England. Nats attributed the disruption to a connectivity problem, stating it had nothing to do with a separate software defect that caused the cancellation of 2,000 flights earlier in September. However, Nats has since resolved the underlying issue and is running at full capacity.

At least 200 flights were cancelled or delayed on Monday, including 100 flights arriving in the UK and 99 departing from the country. EasyJet was the most affected airline, with 47 out of 670 scheduled departures cancelled. British Airways faced 11 cancellations from its 513 scheduled departures. The UK Civil Aviation Authority stated that passengers affected by the disruption are unlikely to be entitled to compensation, as the technical issue is likely to be considered extraordinary circumstances under passenger rights rules.

Airlines UK, the industry representative body, called for urgent reform of Nats, with Wizz Air UK's Yvonne Moynihan demanding an urgent review of Nats' leadership. Jet2's Steve Heapy urged for accountable action to strengthen the UK's air traffic control infrastructure, while Ryanair reiterated its calls for Nats chief Martin Rolfe to resign.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the frustration passengers are experiencing due to the repeated technical faults with Nats.