Air Traffic Meltdown in Britain Caused by “One in 15 Million” Event, NATS CEO Says
LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) – A major air traffic meltdown in Britain has been attributed to a rare occurrence that happens once in 15 million flight plans, according to the CEO of air traffic control provider NATS. Initial findings have revealed that the chaos was triggered by a single flight plan containing two identically labeled markers.
On August 28, during one of the busiest travel periods of the summer, approximately 1,500 flights were canceled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded abroad for days.
“This was a one in 15 million chance. We’ve processed 15 million flight plans with this system up until this point and never seen this before,” said NATS CEO Martin Rolfe in an interview with the BBC. Airlines have intensified their calls for compensation due to the breakdown.
According to a preliminary report by NATS, the flight plan met European standards but included two identically named navigational markers located outside UK airspace. This forced the system, along with its backup, into a “fail-safe” mode.
The report stated that the system faced a dilemma as it couldn’t reject the flight plan without knowing the potential consequences, but it also couldn’t approve it and risk providing incorrect safety-critical information.
“It, therefore, stopped operating, avoiding any opportunity for incorrect data being passed to a controller,” the report explained.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), expressed his disappointment with NATS management, stating that they have “some serious explaining to do.” He called for compensation to be provided to the affected airlines and for the control system repairs to be funded by NATS budgets.
Michael O’Leary, CEO of budget airline Ryanair, criticized the NATS report, referring to it as “full of rubbish” and demanding accountability within NATS.
However, NATS CEO Martin Rolfe assured the public that the issue would not be repeated in the future.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Britain will review the circumstances surrounding the failure and assess if further action is necessary, according to joint interim CEO Rob Bishton.
The IATA estimated that the episode could cost airlines up to 100 million pounds ($126 million) in passenger claims for expenses incurred due to canceled flights.
Ryanair’s rival, easyJet, raised questions about the NATS report and called for a comprehensive examination of its resources and IT systems “to ensure it is fit for purpose today and in the future.”
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Reporting by Muvija M, Farouq Suleiman, Sarah Young, Tim Hepher; editing by William James and John Stonestreet