Airlines urge action after UK flights delayed and cancelled again
Nats says fault at Prestwick has been ‘fixed’ after airports in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland are hit Business live – latest updates Airlines have called for “action and accountability” over the UK’s air traffic control services after another technical issue led to flights being disrupted for the second time in a fortnight. Dozens of flights were cancelled and others severely…
Technical problems at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) in Scotland have caused multiple flight cancellations and delays in the UK, prompting airlines to demand action and accountability. Dozens of flights were cancelled and others severely delayed on Monday morning, primarily affecting Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
The issue, unrelated to the previous problem two weeks ago, was fixed around 10:30am but left at least 200 flights in and out of UK airports disrupted by the end of the day, according to analysts Cirium. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander apologized and acknowledged the frustration of passengers, noting potential delays as systems reset.
The incident followed a serious problem at the Nats control centre in England two weeks prior, which disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Nats blamed the latest problem on a connectivity issue at its Prestwick centre. Despite the quick fix, stranded passengers faced significant disruption, including a bride and groom who missed their Las Vegas wedding due to a cancelled British Airways flight.
Airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and easyJet, have called for urgent actions to address repeated failures, with Ryanair and easyJet demanding Nats' chief executive, Martin Rolfe, resign. The Civil Aviation Authority stated that passengers are unlikely to receive compensation for delays or cancellations directly caused by the Nats technical issue, as it falls under "extraordinary circumstances."
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