Air traffic control issue causes UK flight disruption for second time this month
Summary
This live coverage has ended - please head to our news story for more
Flights across the UK have been disrupted by a "technical issue" with air traffic control - these are the airports affected
Nats, which runs air traffic control, says it had "nothing to do" with a software defect that led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights earlier this month
The issue at Nats' Prestwick centre in Ayrshire is "now fixed", with the system running "at full capacity"
Around 200 flights were cancelled or did not fly today, says analytics firm Cirium - but passengers have been warned they should not expect compensation
EasyJet says this "once again calls into questions the resilience of Nats' systems" - while trade body Airlines UK says both passengers and airlines "deserve better"
"I'm cheesed off with air traffic control as it seems to be happening a lot," one passenger in Birmingham tells us - another passenger in Bristol, who was delayed for hours earlier this month, says: "I can't believe it's happened again"
This live coverage has ended - please head to our news story for more
Flights across the UK have been disrupted by a "technical issue" with air traffic control - these are the airports affected
Nats, which runs air traffic control, says it had "nothing to do" with a software defect that led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights earlier this month
The issue at Nats' Prestwick centre in Ayrshire is "now fixed", with the system running "at full capacity"
Around 200 flights were cancelled or did not fly today, says analytics firm Cirium - but passengers have been warned they should not expect compensation
EasyJet says this "once again calls into questions the resilience of Nats' systems" - while trade body Airlines UK says both passengers and airlines "deserve better"
"I'm cheesed off with air traffic control as it seems to be happening a lot," one passenger in Birmingham tells us - another passenger in Bristol, who was delayed for hours earlier this month, says: "I can't believe it's happened again"
Are you affected?
Live Reporting
Edited by Imogen James and Charlotte Hadfield
Travel disruption around UK after second air traffic control issue in two weekspublished at 15:42 BST 21 September
15:42 BST 21 September
Dan Woodland
Live reporterPassengers across the UK are facing flight delays and cancellations for the second time this month after "a technical issue" with air traffic control systems.
Air traffic control organisation Nats reported a problem "early this morning" at its Prestwick centre in Scotland, but stressed it was "unrelated" to a software issue on 8 September that led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights.
In an update a few hours later, it reported the problem had been "fixed" and blamed a "connectivity issue" in the systems network.
But the knock on effects are still being felt. Aviation analytics company Cirium notes that as of 13:45 BST, around 200 flights have been cancelled or did not fly today.
Among the passengers impacted by the disruption was Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, whose family holiday to Disneyland Paris has been put in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Steve Davies, 74, and his wife Sandie were left "cheesed off" after being told to disembark their easyJet flight to Edinburgh.
The incident also prompted several major airlines operating in the UK to question whether Nats is fit for purpose. Ryanair has called for Nats chief Martin Rolfe to resign.
Suffering two significant issues in a short space of time is likely to attract a great deal of criticism for Nats, and Rolfe could face more pressure to step down, our business correspondent writes.
Have you been affected by the disruption? Here are your rights.
We're now ending our live coverage, but you can read more in our news story.
Share pageAbout sharingDisrupted passengers 'unlikely' to get compensation - UK Civil Aviation Authoritypublished at 15:23 BST 21 September
15:23 BST 21 SeptemberBreakingPassengers facing disruption today after the latest Nats technical issue are "unlikely" to be entitled to compensation, the UK Civil Aviation Authority says.
It says the technical issue is "likely to be considered the result of 'extraordinary circumstances' under passenger rights rules", meaning that "although passengers should be looked after by airlines, they are unlikely to be entitled to compensation for delays or cancellations that were directly caused by the incident".
Share pageAbout sharing'Public will want answers' on air traffic control issue, says travel agents' trade bodypublished at 15:06 BST 21 September
15:06 BST 21 SeptemberFlight disruptions from an air traffic control fault twice in a fortnight is "simply not good enough", says travel agents' trade body Abta.
Abta's Luke Petherbridge says the public will "want answers" after the latest Nats error, adding: "This is the second Nats incident to cause disruption in the last fortnight, and fourth in recent years."
"The industry and travelling public will want answers – not only on what has gone wrong, but critically how the system is going to be made more resilient to avoid future outages."
Petherbridge also calls on the government to "seriously consider" whether Nats should be made to financially compensate the "wider industry for such events".
Share pageAbout sharingMajor airlines call for action after second Nats disruptionpublished at 14:50 BST 21 September
14:50 BST 21 September
Image source, ReutersMajor airlines operating in the UK are questioning the resilience of Nats, following its latest technical error.
Here's what the companies have said.
- Wizz Air UK says there is a "confidence crisis" in Nats, calling for "urgent reform" of the organisation
- Jet2 says "urgent and accountable" action is needed to bolster the UK's air traffic control infrastructure
- Ryanair has called for Nats chief Martin Rolfe to resign, after failing to deliver "either a reliable system or an effective back-up"
- EasyJet says the flight disruption "calls into question the resilience of Nats' systems" and "demonstrates the need for firm actions"
Earlier, Nats said that this issue "has nothing to do" with the error that led to thousands of cancellations earlier this month.
Share pageAbout sharingNats running at 'full capacity' after fixing system issuepublished at 14:36 BST 21 September
14:36 BST 21 SeptemberBreakingWe've just had an update from Nats, which says it is running at "full capacity" after fixing the system issue.
“The system is fixed and we are running at full capacity. We are now focused on working with our customers to recover their residual delays and help get their operations back to normal," a spokesperson says.
Earlier today, Nats said the issue was fixed, blaming a "connectivity issue" in the systems network.
Share pageAbout sharingAlmost 200 flights coming in and out of the UK cancelled, Cirium sayspublished at 14:28 BST 21 September
14:28 BST 21 SeptemberWe've received some updated figures from aviation analytics company Cirium, who say - as of 13:45 BST - around 200 flights have been cancelled or did not fly today.
This includes 100 flights scheduled to arrive in the UK and 99 that were due to depart from the UK, the figures show.
EasyJet is the most impacted airline, with 47 of its 670 scheduled departures cancelled, while British Airways has seen 11 cancellations from its 513 scheduled departures today.
Earlier, Cirium said 35 flights departing and 37 arriving to the UK were cancelled or did not fly so far on Monday.
Share pageAbout sharingCancelled flight gives passenger 'a big worry' over job start datepublished at 14:15 BST 21 September
14:15 BST 21 SeptemberMary Litchfield
Your VoiceI spoke to a passenger who was due to fly from Belfast International airport to Newcastle this morning.
He is starting a new job and was due to go into the office this evening to sign paperwork which he will now miss. Luckily, he managed to rebook onto a flight for tomorrow.
Missing this appointment may affect his starting date for the new job which is "a big worry", he says.
"I'm due to move into a new property when I get over there. It's caused a lot of logistical bother," he adds.
"I feel for the staff who have taken the brunt of people’s reactions to the cancellations as it is not their fault, nor is there much that they can do about it.
"Whoever is responsible needs to be held accountable for the issues. Nobody seems to have any information as to how or why this happened but it has caused huge problems and created huge costs for myself and many other passengers that I spoke to."
Share pageAbout sharingNeed for 'urgent reform' of Nats, Wizz Air UK sayspublished at 14:05 BST 21 September
14:05 BST 21 September
Image source, Getty ImagesManaging director of Wizz Air UK Yvonne Moynihan says the company is wondering: "What's next?" after what she calls a "national confidence crisis" in Nats.
"If this is just a millisecond glitch, why did it take down an entire traffic system?" she questions during an interview on Radio 4's World At One programme.
Asked whether the Nats chief should resign, Moynihan says: "We need to look at the leadership at the top. But more than that, what are the board of directors doing?"
"I don't have the confidence to be honest," Wizz Air's managing director says, when asked if she trusts the governance of Nats to "sort this out".
"There needs to be a change so that Nats are accountable," she adds, after calling for "urgent reform" of Nats.
Share pageAbout sharingPassengers arrive at Edinburgh airport to find flights cancelledpublished at 13:54 BST 21 September
13:54 BST 21 SeptemberBen Philip
Reporting from Edinburgh Airport
It all appeared business as usual at Edinburgh airport this morning.
That was until we started hearing more and more passengers mentioning the dreaded travel words "delayed" and "cancelled".
A growing number of passengers gathered round information boards.
We spoke to several who told me they had just arrived at the airport to find out their flights had been cancelled and were awaiting further information. Many were here on holiday.
Share pageAbout sharingDelays and cancellations across UK airports - the latestpublished at 13:45 BST 21 September
13:45 BST 21 September
Image source, PA MediaImage caption, The board at Belfast International airport shows cancellations
We've just been taking a look at the departures boards across several airports.
In Manchester, upcoming flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Bodrum and Newquay are cancelled.
In Glasgow, there are cancellations for flights to London Heathrow, Belfast and Londonderry. In Derry, flights to Liverpool and Glasgow are cancelled.
In Belfast International airport, there are cancelled flights to Edinburgh, London Stansted, Liverpool and Newcastle.
Over in Edinburgh, there are cancellations for flights to Belfast.
Most flights at these airports appear to be departing, albeit with delays.
It's important to note that while some of these cancelled flights could be related to the Nats issue, we don't know if every single one is due to the technical error.
If you're flying today, make sure to check with your airline to see your flight's status.
Share pageAbout sharingAffected by the disruption? Here's what rights passengers havepublished at 13:36 BST 21 September
13:36 BST 21 September
Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondentOnce again, air passengers are being affected by air traffic control issues. But once again, those whose travel plans have been disrupted do have various rights.
The most important is that your airline must get you to your destination - even if that’s with a rival carrier - unless you opt to take a refund.
For lengthy delays, you may have the right to food, or a hotel stay, depending on the length of the wait.
When delays and cancellations are the fault of an airline, then passengers may be entitled to extra compensation.
But, as was the case with the last episode of air traffic disruption, these events are beyond the control of airlines, so no extra payments will be made beyond the basic rights mentioned above.
Share pageAbout sharing'Cheesed off' passengers and a Disney trip in peril: Travellers caught up in flight disruptionpublished at 13:25 BST 21 September
13:25 BST 21 September
Image source, PA MediaWhile the technical issue affecting the Nats system has now been fixed, passengers are facing delays and cancellations of flights.
Here's what we've heard from some of those impacted:
- Becky Freeman has had to reschedule a business meeting for a second time after being caught up in today's disruption, having already pushed it back once following another Nats issue earlier this month
- Steve Davies, 74, and his wife Sandie are stuck at Birmingham airport after being told to disembark their easyJet flight to Edinburgh this morning, He says he is "cheesed off with air traffic control" as technical issues seem to be "happening a lot"
- Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, planned to take her family to Disneyland Paris today, but their flight from Glasgow was cancelled. Nicole is determined to get there and has rebooked another flight for this afternoon
- Business director Peter Allison says he will miss the opening of a two day conference in Bordeaux after his flight was delayed and is worried about the cost to book another, describing the situation as "a bit of a nightmare"
Share pageAbout sharing'Cracks in the Nats system are definitely showing', says aviation expertpublished at 13:13 BST 21 September
13:13 BST 21 September
Laura Cress
Technology reporterElaine Harding, an aviation technical expert, says today’s disruption is yet another reminder that "air traffic control is critical national aviation infrastructure" and an area where "technical resilience" really matters.
Nats has said the fresh issues have "nothing to do with the problem" which caused major disruption earlier this month - when a software defect in part of its National Airspace System upended travel plans for thousands of passengers.
But Harding says repeated failures in these systems will undoubtedly raise "questions" about their technical capabilities, and whether more investment is needed in them.
"Ryanair bosses complained of large increases in Nats pricing structure over the last year but the price increases are just signs of how much modernisation is needed and the cracks in the system are definitely showing," she adds.
Share pageAbout sharingNats: We accept technology can and sometimes does failpublished at 13:01 BST 21 September
13:01 BST 21 SeptemberIn a new statement, a spokesperson for Nats says: "Any service interruption is unwanted, and something we take very seriously.
"In the real world we accept technology can and sometimes does fail. Our job is minimising disruption where possible.
"What isn’t acceptable is any incident where safety is compromised - this is always our first priority."
Share pageAbout sharing'We'll get to Disneyland, even if it's a shorter trip'published at 12:57 BST 21 September
12:57 BST 21 SeptemberPaul Ward
Reporting from Glasgow airport
Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, was due to be on a cancelled flight to Paris with her husband and daughters Aoife and Nuala.
Nicole tells the BBC they got a message to say the flight was delayed while they were travelling to Glasgow airport, but they only found out it had been cancelled when they arrived.
They have rebooked another flight for this afternoon. "Fingers crossed it’s sorted in time," Nicole says.
"We were supposed to be going for four nights and going to Disney. Even if it is a shorter trip we will get there."
The girls say it will be worth the wait as long as they still get to meet Ariel and Rapunzel.
Share pageAbout sharingJet2 boss says 'urgent and accountable' action needed following Nats outagepublished at 12:47 BST 21 September
12:47 BST 21 September
Archie Mitchell
Business reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesThe chief executive of airline Jet2 has called for "urgent and accountable" action to bolster the UK’s air traffic control infrastructure in the wake of the latest outage.
Steve Heapy says airlines and customers are "once again being disrupted by yet another NATS issue” and asked: "How many more failures do customers and airlines have to deal with?"
The airline rejected the idea of further "reports and apologies" to address the issue, and said it is "counting the cost of this disruption and will be sending another bill to Nats".
Share pageAbout sharingCity of Derry airport says delays and cancellations on some servicespublished at 12:36 BST 21 September
12:36 BST 21 SeptemberA spokesperson for the City of Derry airport says that there are delays on the easyJet Edinburgh service and Loganair's Heathrow service this morning.
There are also delays expected to Ryanair's Manchester route. Separately, the spokesperson says, easyJet's Liverpool service and Logainair's Glasgow service have been cancelled.
"We kindly advise all passengers affected to check with their airline for the latest updates on flights and contact their airline directly any queries," the spokesperson says.
They add live updates on arrivals and departures are available on the airport website.
Share pageAbout sharing'It's a bit of a nightmare', says delayed passengerpublished at 12:27 BST 21 September
12:27 BST 21 SeptemberMary Litchfield
Your Voice
Peter Allison is the director of a small independent business of whisky makers and is flying from Edinburgh to London Gatwick, before travelling to Bordeaux for a two day conference.
But, with the delays he is going to miss his connection to Bordeaux and the first day of the conference.
Peter tells the BBC he is hopeful of booking another flight to get to Bordeaux for tomorrow, but says "it isn't great, as a small business, we don't have the funds to spend on flights".
His captain announced some flights had been allowed to take off, but warned they could be delayed for up to three hours.
"Communication has been really bad, we don't really know what's happening, the updates are few and far between. We don't really know what 'NATS' or 'slots' are as passengers, so it's not ideal.
"It's a bit of a nightmare."
Share pageAbout sharingPassengers and airlines 'deserve better', says UK airlines bodypublished at 12:18 BST 21 September
12:18 BST 21 SeptemberAirlines UK, the trade body representing British airlines, says both passengers and airlines "deserve better" following the latest disruption caused by a Nats fault.
“Yet another Nats failure is causing delays and disruption for passengers and airlines alike, and comes just days after its report into the most recent major outage," says Airiness UK boss Tim Alderslade.
He says the UK's air traffic control system is "critical national infrastructure" and "must be resilient enough to keep people moving".
He adds that the upcoming civil aviation bill in Parliament "must address the underlying weaknesses in the system so that these failures stop happening".
Share pageAbout sharingAir traffic control issue causes flight disruption across UKpublished at 12:11 BST 21 September
12:11 BST 21 September
Jack Grey
Live reporter
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Ryanair are among the airlines to criticise air traffic control operators after the latest disruption
Dozens of flights have been delayed and some cancelled due to an air traffic control fault at the Nats Prestwick centre in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced the issue now been "fixed", but acknowledges it would be "deeply frustrating" for passengers after previous chaos caused by a separate Nats issue earlier this month.
Here's what we know:
- Nats, which confirmed the issue has been fixed, said it primarily impacted airports in the northern parts of the UK, with airports south of Manchester "broadly unaffected"
- Several airports, some further south of Manchester, reported varying degrees of disruption to arrivals and departures
- Nats described the fault as a "connectivity issue with part of our systems network", with disruption expected to remain while things get back up and running
Airlines have yet again made their frustrations with the UK's air traffic controls systems clear, with Ryanair chief operations officer Neal McMahon stating that Nats boss Martin Rolfe "should resign today".
EasyJet adds that the fresh flight disruption "once again calls into question the resilience of Nats' systems".
Share pageAbout sharing
Travel disruption around UK after second air traffic control issue in two weekspublished at 15:42 BST 21 September15:42 BST 21 September
Dan Woodland
Live reporter
Passengers across the UK are facing flight delays and cancellations for the second time this month after "a technical issue" with air traffic control systems.
Air traffic control organisation Nats reported a problem "early this morning" at its Prestwick centre in Scotland, but stressed it was "unrelated" to a software issue on 8 September that led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights.
In an update a few hours later, it reported the problem had been "fixed" and blamed a "connectivity issue" in the systems network.
But the knock on effects are still being felt. Aviation analytics company Cirium notes that as of 13:45 BST, around 200 flights have been cancelled or did not fly today.
Among the passengers impacted by the disruption was Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, whose family holiday to Disneyland Paris has been put in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Steve Davies, 74, and his wife Sandie were left "cheesed off" after being told to disembark their easyJet flight to Edinburgh.
The incident also prompted several major airlines operating in the UK to question whether Nats is fit for purpose. Ryanair has called for Nats chief Martin Rolfe to resign.
Suffering two significant issues in a short space of time is likely to attract a great deal of criticism for Nats, and Rolfe could face more pressure to step down, our business correspondent writes.
Have you been affected by the disruption? Here are your rights.
We're now ending our live coverage, but you can read more in our news story.
Disrupted passengers 'unlikely' to get compensation - UK Civil Aviation Authoritypublished at 15:23 BST 21 September15:23 BST 21 SeptemberBreaking
Passengers facing disruption today after the latest Nats technical issue are "unlikely" to be entitled to compensation, the UK Civil Aviation Authority says.
It says the technical issue is "likely to be considered the result of 'extraordinary circumstances' under passenger rights rules", meaning that "although passengers should be looked after by airlines, they are unlikely to be entitled to compensation for delays or cancellations that were directly caused by the incident".
'Public will want answers' on air traffic control issue, says travel agents' trade bodypublished at 15:06 BST 21 September15:06 BST 21 September
Flight disruptions from an air traffic control fault twice in a fortnight is "simply not good enough", says travel agents' trade body Abta.
Abta's Luke Petherbridge says the public will "want answers" after the latest Nats error, adding: "This is the second Nats incident to cause disruption in the last fortnight, and fourth in recent years."
"The industry and travelling public will want answers – not only on what has gone wrong, but critically how the system is going to be made more resilient to avoid future outages."
Petherbridge also calls on the government to "seriously consider" whether Nats should be made to financially compensate the "wider industry for such events".
Major airlines call for action after second Nats disruptionpublished at 14:50 BST 21 September14:50 BST 21 September
Image source, ReutersMajor airlines operating in the UK are questioning the resilience of Nats, following its latest technical error.
Here's what the companies have said.
- Wizz Air UK says there is a "confidence crisis" in Nats, calling for "urgent reform" of the organisation
- Jet2 says "urgent and accountable" action is needed to bolster the UK's air traffic control infrastructure
- Ryanair has called for Nats chief Martin Rolfe to resign, after failing to deliver "either a reliable system or an effective back-up"
- EasyJet says the flight disruption "calls into question the resilience of Nats' systems" and "demonstrates the need for firm actions"
Earlier, Nats said that this issue "has nothing to do" with the error that led to thousands of cancellations earlier this month.
Nats running at 'full capacity' after fixing system issuepublished at 14:36 BST 21 September14:36 BST 21 SeptemberBreaking
We've just had an update from Nats, which says it is running at "full capacity" after fixing the system issue.
“The system is fixed and we are running at full capacity. We are now focused on working with our customers to recover their residual delays and help get their operations back to normal," a spokesperson says.
Earlier today, Nats said the issue was fixed, blaming a "connectivity issue" in the systems network.
Almost 200 flights coming in and out of the UK cancelled, Cirium sayspublished at 14:28 BST 21 September14:28 BST 21 September
We've received some updated figures from aviation analytics company Cirium, who say - as of 13:45 BST - around 200 flights have been cancelled or did not fly today.
This includes 100 flights scheduled to arrive in the UK and 99 that were due to depart from the UK, the figures show.
EasyJet is the most impacted airline, with 47 of its 670 scheduled departures cancelled, while British Airways has seen 11 cancellations from its 513 scheduled departures today.
Earlier, Cirium said 35 flights departing and 37 arriving to the UK were cancelled or did not fly so far on Monday.
Cancelled flight gives passenger 'a big worry' over job start datepublished at 14:15 BST 21 September14:15 BST 21 September
Mary Litchfield
Your Voice
I spoke to a passenger who was due to fly from Belfast International airport to Newcastle this morning.
He is starting a new job and was due to go into the office this evening to sign paperwork which he will now miss. Luckily, he managed to rebook onto a flight for tomorrow.
Missing this appointment may affect his starting date for the new job which is "a big worry", he says.
"I'm due to move into a new property when I get over there. It's caused a lot of logistical bother," he adds.
"I feel for the staff who have taken the brunt of people’s reactions to the cancellations as it is not their fault, nor is there much that they can do about it.
"Whoever is responsible needs to be held accountable for the issues. Nobody seems to have any information as to how or why this happened but it has caused huge problems and created huge costs for myself and many other passengers that I spoke to."
Need for 'urgent reform' of Nats, Wizz Air UK sayspublished at 14:05 BST 21 September14:05 BST 21 September
Image source, Getty ImagesManaging director of Wizz Air UK Yvonne Moynihan says the company is wondering: "What's next?" after what she calls a "national confidence crisis" in Nats.
"If this is just a millisecond glitch, why did it take down an entire traffic system?" she questions during an interview on Radio 4's World At One programme.
Asked whether the Nats chief should resign, Moynihan says: "We need to look at the leadership at the top. But more than that, what are the board of directors doing?"
"I don't have the confidence to be honest," Wizz Air's managing director says, when asked if she trusts the governance of Nats to "sort this out".
"There needs to be a change so that Nats are accountable," she adds, after calling for "urgent reform" of Nats.
Passengers arrive at Edinburgh airport to find flights cancelledpublished at 13:54 BST 21 September13:54 BST 21 September
Ben Philip
Reporting from Edinburgh Airport
It all appeared business as usual at Edinburgh airport this morning.
That was until we started hearing more and more passengers mentioning the dreaded travel words "delayed" and "cancelled".
A growing number of passengers gathered round information boards.
We spoke to several who told me they had just arrived at the airport to find out their flights had been cancelled and were awaiting further information. Many were here on holiday.
Delays and cancellations across UK airports - the latestpublished at 13:45 BST 21 September13:45 BST 21 September
Image source, PA MediaThe board at Belfast International airport shows cancellations
The board at Belfast International airport shows cancellations
We've just been taking a look at the departures boards across several airports.
In Manchester, upcoming flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Bodrum and Newquay are cancelled.
In Glasgow, there are cancellations for flights to London Heathrow, Belfast and Londonderry. In Derry, flights to Liverpool and Glasgow are cancelled.
In Belfast International airport, there are cancelled flights to Edinburgh, London Stansted, Liverpool and Newcastle.
Over in Edinburgh, there are cancellations for flights to Belfast.
Most flights at these airports appear to be departing, albeit with delays.
It's important to note that while some of these cancelled flights could be related to the Nats issue, we don't know if every single one is due to the technical error.
If you're flying today, make sure to check with your airline to see your flight's status.
Affected by the disruption? Here's what rights passengers havepublished at 13:36 BST 21 September13:36 BST 21 September
Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent
Once again, air passengers are being affected by air traffic control issues. But once again, those whose travel plans have been disrupted do have various rights.
The most important is that your airline must get you to your destination - even if that’s with a rival carrier - unless you opt to take a refund.
For lengthy delays, you may have the right to food, or a hotel stay, depending on the length of the wait.
When delays and cancellations are the fault of an airline, then passengers may be entitled to extra compensation.
But, as was the case with the last episode of air traffic disruption, these events are beyond the control of airlines, so no extra payments will be made beyond the basic rights mentioned above.
'Cheesed off' passengers and a Disney trip in peril: Travellers caught up in flight disruptionpublished at 13:25 BST 21 September13:25 BST 21 September
Image source, PA MediaWhile the technical issue affecting the Nats system has now been fixed, passengers are facing delays and cancellations of flights.
Here's what we've heard from some of those impacted:
- Becky Freeman has had to reschedule a business meeting for a second time after being caught up in today's disruption, having already pushed it back once following another Nats issue earlier this month
- Steve Davies, 74, and his wife Sandie are stuck at Birmingham airport after being told to disembark their easyJet flight to Edinburgh this morning, He says he is "cheesed off with air traffic control" as technical issues seem to be "happening a lot"
- Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, planned to take her family to Disneyland Paris today, but their flight from Glasgow was cancelled. Nicole is determined to get there and has rebooked another flight for this afternoon
- Business director Peter Allison says he will miss the opening of a two day conference in Bordeaux after his flight was delayed and is worried about the cost to book another, describing the situation as "a bit of a nightmare"
'Cracks in the Nats system are definitely showing', says aviation expertpublished at 13:13 BST 21 September13:13 BST 21 September
Laura Cress
Technology reporter
Elaine Harding, an aviation technical expert, says today’s disruption is yet another reminder that "air traffic control is critical national aviation infrastructure" and an area where "technical resilience" really matters.
Nats has said the fresh issues have "nothing to do with the problem" which caused major disruption earlier this month - when a software defect in part of its National Airspace System upended travel plans for thousands of passengers.
But Harding says repeated failures in these systems will undoubtedly raise "questions" about their technical capabilities, and whether more investment is needed in them.
"Ryanair bosses complained of large increases in Nats pricing structure over the last year but the price increases are just signs of how much modernisation is needed and the cracks in the system are definitely showing," she adds.
Nats: We accept technology can and sometimes does failpublished at 13:01 BST 21 September13:01 BST 21 September
In a new statement, a spokesperson for Nats says: "Any service interruption is unwanted, and something we take very seriously.
"In the real world we accept technology can and sometimes does fail. Our job is minimising disruption where possible.
"What isn’t acceptable is any incident where safety is compromised - this is always our first priority."
'We'll get to Disneyland, even if it's a shorter trip'published at 12:57 BST 21 September12:57 BST 21 September
Paul Ward
Reporting from Glasgow airport
Nicole McCloskey, from Kilmarnock, was due to be on a cancelled flight to Paris with her husband and daughters Aoife and Nuala.
Nicole tells the BBC they got a message to say the flight was delayed while they were travelling to Glasgow airport, but they only found out it had been cancelled when they arrived.
They have rebooked another flight for this afternoon. "Fingers crossed it’s sorted in time," Nicole says.
"We were supposed to be going for four nights and going to Disney. Even if it is a shorter trip we will get there."
The girls say it will be worth the wait as long as they still get to meet Ariel and Rapunzel.
Jet2 boss says 'urgent and accountable' action needed following Nats outagepublished at 12:47 BST 21 September12:47 BST 21 September
Archie Mitchell
Business reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesThe chief executive of airline Jet2 has called for "urgent and accountable" action to bolster the UK’s air traffic control infrastructure in the wake of the latest outage.
Steve Heapy says airlines and customers are "once again being disrupted by yet another NATS issue” and asked: "How many more failures do customers and airlines have to deal with?"
The airline rejected the idea of further "reports and apologies" to address the issue, and said it is "counting the cost of this disruption and will be sending another bill to Nats".
City of Derry airport says delays and cancellations on some servicespublished at 12:36 BST 21 September12:36 BST 21 September
A spokesperson for the City of Derry airport says that there are delays on the easyJet Edinburgh service and Loganair's Heathrow service this morning.
There are also delays expected to Ryanair's Manchester route. Separately, the spokesperson says, easyJet's Liverpool service and Logainair's Glasgow service have been cancelled.
"We kindly advise all passengers affected to check with their airline for the latest updates on flights and contact their airline directly any queries," the spokesperson says.
They add live updates on arrivals and departures are available on the airport website.
'It's a bit of a nightmare', says delayed passengerpublished at 12:27 BST 21 September12:27 BST 21 September
Mary Litchfield
Your Voice
Peter Allison is the director of a small independent business of whisky makers and is flying from Edinburgh to London Gatwick, before travelling to Bordeaux for a two day conference.
But, with the delays he is going to miss his connection to Bordeaux and the first day of the conference.
Peter tells the BBC he is hopeful of booking another flight to get to Bordeaux for tomorrow, but says "it isn't great, as a small business, we don't have the funds to spend on flights".
His captain announced some flights had been allowed to take off, but warned they could be delayed for up to three hours.
"Communication has been really bad, we don't really know what's happening, the updates are few and far between. We don't really know what 'NATS' or 'slots' are as passengers, so it's not ideal.
"It's a bit of a nightmare."
Passengers and airlines 'deserve better', says UK airlines bodypublished at 12:18 BST 21 September12:18 BST 21 September
Airlines UK, the trade body representing British airlines, says both passengers and airlines "deserve better" following the latest disruption caused by a Nats fault.
“Yet another Nats failure is causing delays and disruption for passengers and airlines alike, and comes just days after its report into the most recent major outage," says Airiness UK boss Tim Alderslade.
He says the UK's air traffic control system is "critical national infrastructure" and "must be resilient enough to keep people moving".
He adds that the upcoming civil aviation bill in Parliament "must address the underlying weaknesses in the system so that these failures stop happening".
Air traffic control issue causes flight disruption across UKpublished at 12:11 BST 21 September12:11 BST 21 September
Jack Grey
Live reporter
Image source, ReutersRyanair are among the airlines to criticise air traffic control operators after the latest disruption
Ryanair are among the airlines to criticise air traffic control operators after the latest disruption
Dozens of flights have been delayed and some cancelled due to an air traffic control fault at the Nats Prestwick centre in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced the issue now been "fixed", but acknowledges it would be "deeply frustrating" for passengers after previous chaos caused by a separate Nats issue earlier this month.
Here's what we know:
- Nats, which confirmed the issue has been fixed, said it primarily impacted airports in the northern parts of the UK, with airports south of Manchester "broadly unaffected"
- Several airports, some further south of Manchester, reported varying degrees of disruption to arrivals and departures
- Nats described the fault as a "connectivity issue with part of our systems network", with disruption expected to remain while things get back up and running
Airlines have yet again made their frustrations with the UK's air traffic controls systems clear, with Ryanair chief operations officer Neal McMahon stating that Nats boss Martin Rolfe "should resign today".
EasyJet adds that the fresh flight disruption "once again calls into question the resilience of Nats' systems".
Source: original · archived on viral-news.eu