{
  "id": 6899223,
  "title": "The aircraft might not be flying, but the certificate has gone on vacation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/the-aircraft-might-not-be-flying-but-the-certificate-has-gone-on-6899223",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-12T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register Science",
    "slug": "the-register-science",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/09/12/the-aircraft-might-not-be-flying-but-the-certificate-has-gone-on-vacation/5295622"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The recent air traffic control chaos in the UK left passengers puzzled, but one sign at Luton Airport gave an unexpected glimpse into the situation. The digital board, typically displaying passenger information, seemed to have its system clock or server certificate issues. Unlike the usual DNS problems, this was something quite different. The UK's air traffic control system had been struggling, causing thousands of flight cancellations and affecting around 330,000 passengers. A glitch in NATS led to the disruptions, impacting numerous flights and travelers. Luton Airport, a hub for Ryanair and easyJet, was among the affected, but fortunately, one reader's flight managed to take off on time. While others grappled with their travel woes, it was reassuring to see that the information board was now experiencing a vacation of its own, presumably leaving the server certificate renewal to others. After all, not every passenger needed to know the specifics of the air traffic control woes, did they?",
  "summary": "Information is not forthcoming from this screen",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Register",
        "title": "The aircraft might not be flying, but the certificate has gone on vacation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/the-aircraft-might-not-be-flying-but-the-certificate-has-gone-on",
        "published": "2026-09-12T09:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}