Major airlines have sharply criticized the UK’s air traffic control provider after a second technical breakdown in as many weeks left travelers stranded across the country. The latest disruption, which hit airports in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England on Monday, was blamed on a “connectivity issue” at a facility in Prestwick, Scotland. National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the body responsible for guiding planes through UK skies, said the problem was unrelated to a separate software glitch that caused chaos at its Swanwick center earlier this month.
More than 150 flights were canceled, according to aviation data firm Cirium, with budget carrier EasyJet hit hardest. Wizz Air went so far as to describe a “national confidence crisis” in Nats, while Ryanair renewed calls for the resignation of Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe, accusing him of failing to deliver a reliable system or backup plan. Jet2 and British Airways also voiced frustration, calling for accountability and urgent upgrades to Britain’s aviation infrastructure.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the repeated failures were “of even greater concern” and confirmed the issues would be investigated, though he stopped short of committing to any leadership changes at Nats. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority noted that affected passengers are unlikely to receive compensation, since the outage likely qualifies as an “extraordinary circumstance” under passenger rights rules. A separate independent review into the resilience of the UK’s air traffic control system is already underway, with results expected within six months.
You can read the full BBC report for more details on this developing story.
Source: Airlines criticise air traffic control as second glitch causes more disruption in UK (feeds.bbci.co.uk).
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