UK Flights Disrupted Again as NATS Fails for Second Time in Two Weeks

The UK’s air traffic control system failed again on September 21, cancelling around 200 flights and delaying hundreds more across major airports. The connectivity issue at NATS’ Prestwick centre in Scotland struck just 13 days after a software glitch disrupted over 2,000 flights. Airlines including Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air are now demanding urgent action and the resignation of NATS chief Martin Rolfe.

What happened on September 21

A technical fault at the National Air Traffic Services’ Prestwick control centre in Scotland disrupted flights across northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and into London on Monday morning. NATS blamed a connectivity issue in its systems network. The company said the problem was unrelated to the software glitch that struck on September 8, which had caused chaos across UK airspace.

The scale of disruption

As of 13:45 BST on September 21, aviation analytics firm Cirium reported around 200 flights were cancelled or did not fly. This included 100 arrivals and 99 departures from UK airports. EasyJet suffered the most, with 47 of its 670 scheduled departures cancelled. British Airways saw 11 cancellations from 513 scheduled departures. NATS said the system was fixed and running at full capacity by mid-afternoon.

Airlines demand accountability

Major carriers are questioning NATS’ reliability. Ryanair called for Martin Rolfe to resign, saying he failed to deliver either a reliable system or effective backup. Wizz Air UK described a confidence crisis and demanded urgent reform. EasyJet said the disruption demonstrates the need for firm actions. The ABTA, the UK travel industry trade body, asked the government to consider whether NATS should compensate the wider industry for such failures.

Pressure mounts on NATS leadership

Ryanair’s chief operations officer Neal McMahon and Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice demanded Rolfe’s immediate resignation. They called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to dismiss him if he refused to step down. The timing is critical: NATS had published a report days before the September 8 failure claiming a repeat incident was unlikely. This second failure in 13 days directly contradicts that assessment.

Final Thoughts

Two major NATS failures in two weeks have shattered airline confidence in UK air traffic control. With 200 flights cancelled on September 21 alone and industry leaders calling for the CEO’s resignation, the pressure on the government to act is now intense. The cost to airlines is mounting into millions of pounds.

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