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Air Traffic Control Issue Causes Chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick
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In Short: Passenger journeys in chaos over ‘technical issue’ hitting hundreds of take-offs.
Passenger journeys in chaos over ‘technical issue’ hitting hundreds of take-offs. More than 2,000 flights to and from the UK were cancelled or delayed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a “technical issue” at National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the UK’s air traffic control provider.
The disruption spread to major airports across the country, with London Heathrow and London Gatwick among the most affected. As of 8am Thursday, flight tracking service Flightradar24 shows 58 delayed flights at Heathrow, with an average delay of 14 minutes, and 74 flights delayed by an average of 13 minutes at Gatwick.
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) issued an alert over a “technical issue” causing disruption, but it took an hour and a half for the organization to identify the problem in its flight data processing system. A judge ruled that such issues are “inherent in the normal exercise of the activity of the air carrier,” meaning passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation for delays or cancellations directly caused by the incident.
Gatwick airport said in a post on Wednesday evening that operations have “returned largely to normal, although a small number of residual delays may still occur.” Heathrow advised passengers to check with their airline for the latest information on their flights before heading to the airport.
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) chief Martin Rolfe was summoned at lunchtime on Wednesday to see Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, after reporting a problem with the organization’s flight data processing system. The walkout was announced by trade union Unite on Wednesday, the day after around 1,300 UK flights were grounded following a technical issue with air traffic control systems.
Passengers at Gatwick airport could face further disruption next week as more than 220 assisted travel workers plan to strike over pay. The Independent advises passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling to Heathrow, where there may still be some changes to schedules.
What's still developing
- John Sauer, the administration’s top litigator, argued that the warnings from states that the changes are unworkable, represent an overreach of federal authority or would cause chaos in November are all baseless.
- Postal Service to move forward with President Trump’s new rules for mail ballots in the November election would cause “chaos” and could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
- Airlines have advised passengers to arrive at the airport on time as the aviation industry recovers.
Sources
- Independent link