A technical issue disrupted flights in and out of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England on Monday, the latest embarrassment to affect the UK national air traffic controller.
Though NATS, formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, said the issue at its Prestwick center in Scotland has been fixed, the repercussions will continue to be felt through the day at the very least, with flights canceled or delayed.
“We are working with airports and airlines to safely lift air traffic regulations as quickly as we can to minimize any further disruption,” it said in a statement. “We apologize for the disruption.”
NATS said airports south of Manchester, including those in and out of London, are “broadly unaffected.”
NATS said the disruption is unconnected with the software glitch that led to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in and out of the United Kingdom two weeks ago. The chaos prompted mounting calls for its chief executive Martin Rolfe to stand down.
EasyJet said the latest flight disruption “once again, calls into question the resilience of NATS” systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures.”And British Airways said it is “disappointing” that some customers may experience disruption after “yet another technical fault” involving NATS.
The U.K. government owns 49% of NATS, making it the largest shareholder and giving it a veto over key decisions. Airlines, airports, investors and employees own the remaining shares in the public-private partnership.
“I know this will be deeply frustrating for passengers after the previous issue,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
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UK flight disruptions hits Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England
