Andrea Innocenti A serious technical failure has paralysed air traffic in the United Kingdom , causing the cancellation of 1.055 flights on Tuesday and 177 flights on Wednesday 9 September. The malfunction, reported by the air traffic control service NATS, has had repercussions on the country's main airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick.
The consequences of the technical failure
The technical issue significantly impacted London Liverpool Birmingham and Edinburgh airports . According to air traffic monitoring website Flightradar24 , the situation was particularly critical at Heathrow Airport , where most flights were canceled. Josie Donoghue, a healthcare worker, described the situation as "a nightmare," comparing the exit from Gatwick Airport to an escape from Alcatraz.
Airlines' statements
British Airways had to cancel or divert more than 100 flights, affecting tens of thousands of customers. Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline, also suffered severe disruption, with more than 65.000 passengers affected and over 50 flights canceled. Arsenal, a football team scheduled to play Napoli the following day, had to cancel a pre-match press conference due to the flight delay.
The reactions of the authorities and companies
Air traffic control service NATS said the system restoration took longer than expected, but that the problem has now been resolved. "We are operating as normal and working as hard as we can to clear the backlog of flights," the agency said on social media, acknowledging the situation as "extremely frustrating" and offering an unreserved apology. UK Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander called for assurances that lessons will be learned and that aviation support systems are up to the task.
Criticisms of Nats' management
Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon reiterated his calls for the sacking of Nats CEO Martin Rolfe , accusing him of once again "letting UK travellers down." "Enough is enough, it's time for the UK government to step in and put someone in charge who can do the job," he said.
A recurring problem
This isn't the first time the UK has faced a failure that paralyzed flight operations. Last July, a technical issue led to the cancellation of dozens of flights and sparked the ire of British airline bosses. An even more serious failure occurred, affecting over 700.000 passengers and causing hundreds of flight cancellations and diversions.