Airlines urged to assist stranded passengers amid UK Air Traffic Control failure fallout

In the wake of a substantial air traffic control failure in the UK, Downing Street has called upon airlines to take exhaustive measures in aiding passengers who have found themselves stranded or disrupted due to the technical glitch.

The repercussions of this failure, which transpired on Monday, have continued to reverberate, leading to widespread flight cancellations and delays.

Approximately a quarter of a million passengers were ensnared in the chaos that unfolded during the bank holiday, when a technical malfunction at National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the organisation responsible for overseeing UK air traffic control systems, severely curtailed both take-offs and landings for a duration of around four hours.

The disruption manifested as almost 1,600 flights across various UK airports were cancelled on Monday.

This tumultuous situation persisted into Tuesday, with an additional 300 flights cancelled and numerous others subjected to protracted delays. The predicament became particularly dire for travellers abroad who found themselves unable to return home for an indeterminate number of days.

In response, Downing Street and governmental ministers have underscored the obligation of airlines to rise to the occasion and fulfil their duties to affected passengers.

Rishi Sunak conveyed his empathy, acknowledging the frustration that passengers have encountered due to the disruptive events. Prime Minister's Office supplemented, stating that the Transport Secretary has been maintaining a continual discourse with all stakeholders within the industry. The Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, in partnership with airlines, is taking concerted actions to expedite the return of passengers to their destinations with minimal delays.

Harper's official spokesperson underscored the airlines' duty to repatriate passengers to their intended locations, either by arranging alternative means of travel for cancelled flights or by providing essential amenities such as meals and accommodations until an alternative flight can be arranged.

Harper himself tendered an apology for the disturbance, stating during an interview that airlines bear the responsibility of either re-accommodating passengers on available flights or covering costs for lodging and sustenance.

In cases where airlines fall short, passengers retain the option to incur reasonable expenses independently and subsequently seek reimbursement from the respective airlines.

The technical difficulties that surfaced necessitated air traffic controllers to manually input flight plans to ensure the continued operation of air services. Engineers laboured persistently for nearly four hours to pinpoint and rectify the underlying issue.

Harper rejected the notion of a cyber-attack being the root cause, though he indicated that an autonomous enquiry would be conducted by the aviation regulator to delve into the incident.

The secretary of state for transport expounded on the technical error, clarifying that it originated in the flight planning system. He maintained that a thorough investigation into the matter was imperative, given the magnitude of the disruption.

Furthermore, he highlighted the necessity of ensuring aviation safety, which compelled a temporary transition to a manual system as a precautionary measure. While pressed on the potential involvement of a cyber-attack, Harper affirmed that experts in the field have ruled out such a scenario and will continue scrutinising the systems for additional insights.

Addressing the unfortunate timing of the incident, Harper acknowledged the suboptimal circumstances of the bank holiday and the end of the holiday period. He conceded that rectifying the situation and restoring normalcy would require several days.

The secretary of state for transport countered scepticism regarding the reliability of the broader UK transport infrastructure, emphasising that instances of malfunction like this were exceedingly rare. Harper pointed to the overwhelmingly smooth functioning of the air traffic system in the vast majority of cases, underlining that such incidents were infrequent and not representative of the norm.

While the history of IT-related issues impacting passengers is not without precedent, the last major occurrence at Nats in Swanwick transpired in December 2014, during which a computer glitch led to flight groundings lasting approximately an hour. In light of the current situation, airlines including British Airways and TUI have forewarned passengers of significant delays in line with revised schedules.

British Airways has extended an offer of free rebooking for passengers travelling on Tuesday, allowing them to circumvent the disruptions.

Airports, such as Heathrow, have urged passengers to confirm the status of their flights prior to commencing their journeys on Tuesday. Gatwick Airport expressed its intent to uphold a standard schedule on Tuesday, albeit with an advisory for passengers to verify the status of their flights.

Early-morning flights operated by prominent carrier easyJet were subject to multiple hours of delay compared to their original timetables.