Government issues update on the air traffic control shutdown

Radar problem an “isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity”

The Government has issued an update on the air traffic control shutdown which has delayed and inconvenienced thousands of passengers.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called in the head of Air Traffic Control Martin Rolfe this afternoon to demand answers to what happened yesterday when a radar ‘glitch’ caused the air traffic control outage which resulted in more than 150 planes being grounded and other flights delayed.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said yesterday evening their systems were fully operational once more and air traffic capacity was returning to normal. Departures at all airports had resumed by 5pm.

“We are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue”.

At 4.05pm on Wednesday they took the decision to limit the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety, after “a technical issue at NATS Swanwick air traffic control centre”.

By 4.25pm they reported: “Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption”.

The disruption meant passengers across Europe were stranded as planes were cancelled or diverted. Some turned around mid-air to return from the airport they had left.

After the meeting between Heidi Alexander and Martin Rolfe this afternoon, she issued a statement saying the incident was an “isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity”.

This afternoon passengers were still being advised to check with airlines before travelling to the airport for their flights because of knock-on effects of the air traffic failure.

EasyJet’s CEO, David Morgan, said it was “extremely disappointing” to see air traffic control fail “once again”, disrupting passengers.

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