A technical glitch in the UK's air traffic control system caused the cancellation of 1,500 flights on August 28, 2023. The glitch was caused by a single flight plan that included two identically named waypoints, which forced the system to enter a "fail-safe" mode. The system was unable to process the flight plan without knowing what impact that might have, nor approve it and hence risk providing wrong safety-critical information.
.gif)
The glitch is being described as a "one in 15 million" event, and NATS CEO Martin Rolfe said that the system has processed 15 million flight plans without this happening before. However, airline industry body IATA has called for compensation to airlines and repairs to the control system to be funded by NATS budgets. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has also criticized the report, saying that it is "full of rubbish" and that "heads should roll" at NATS.
Britain's civil aviation regulator, the CAA, will review the circumstances surrounding the failure and assess if further action is necessary. IATA has said that the episode could cost airlines up to £100 million ($126 million) as passengers whose flights were canceled will be able to claim back expenses for the hotels they stayed in or the new tickets they bought.
EasyJet has said that the NATS report leaves some questions unanswered and has called for a wide-ranging examination of its resources and IT systems "to ensure it is fit for purpose today and in the future."