Ryanair is also calling for the resignation of civil servant Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of National Air Traffic Services (NATS). This call follows multiple breakdowns of the UK’s air traffic control system. Recent high-profile incidents have further shaken confidence in the system. Hundreds of thousands of passengers are being affected, causing tens of thousands of cancelled flights.
Just this year, a breakdown in the NATS system disrupted air travel for more than 700,000 travelers and lost 500 flight cancellations. This past Wednesday, NATS experienced a third failure that lasted roughly 20 minutes during the national peak travel period. This occurrence forced 150 flight cancellations and hundreds of other delays. NATS manages all UK airspace as well as controlling all flights into and out of UK’s airports. Consequently, these disruptions have raised alarm bells in the industry and among airline consumers alike.
Graham Lake, former director general of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), provides his perspectives on the matter. He brings an important perspective to the discussion. He focused attention on the technical failures which he said are “inevitable” in any large-scale operation, where NATS’s air traffic network is comparable to “national infrastructure.” Lake noted that NATS’s recovery was incredibly fast. This resilience was on display when, faced with the radar issue, they accelerated plans to transition to a backup system to address the issue in record time.
In response to the recent failures, EasyJet expressed its disappointment, stating it was “hugely disappointing to see, yet again, the major failure within our air traffic control system which has let down a lot of customers with lengthy delays and, in some cases, cancellations.” This is a sentiment that would sound very familiar to the hundreds of thousands of passengers impacted by the upheaval.
Nigel Wicking, then the group chief executive at NATS, mounted a vigorous defense our operational teams in NATS. He declared instead that they do a “phenomenal job.” He acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, “when things go wrong and we lose the system for even an hour the impact is major.” Wicking was understanding of the pressures under which air traffic control services are operating. He gives voice to the daunting pressures that go into overseeing this vital, but often taken for granted, infrastructure.
Even in light of this overwhelming desire for accountability, Graham Lake does not think it is unreasonable to ask Martin Rolfe to resign. In particular, he noted NATS’s performance against most other countries. There is plenty of room for improvement. These shortcomings aside, the group’s relative effectiveness overall is still remarkably high.
In response, critics have underscored NATS’ vital significance. It helps deliver the safe and efficient air travel our UK-wide customers and partners expect. As a federally-controlled organization, you would think an example of performance and reliability would be required. The recent failures have sparked a broader discussion about the resilience and preparedness of air traffic control systems amid increasing air travel demands.