Heathrow passengers faced further disruption on Wednesday, 9 September, as Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander summoned NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe to answer questions over the air traffic control failure that triggered mass cancellations across UK airports a day earlier.
A further 279 flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick were cancelled early on Wednesday, according to Flightradar24 data reported by the Independent, on top of roughly 1,300 cancellations nationwide on Tuesday, when a fault in NATS's flight processing system at its Swanwick control centre halted departures for hours. NATS said in an official statement that it identified the fault in its flight processing system and had "implemented a fix" by 4:40pm on Tuesday, but that "recovery will take some time" as airlines worked through knock-on effects overnight.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday, Rolfe apologised and ruled out a cyber attack, saying, according to Devon Live: "I don't believe we've ever seen an incident happen more than once, so this will be something different that we've never seen in 50 years of operation." He said the immediate priority was clearing the backlog before a "very, very thorough investigation" into the cause.
Alexander is due to speak with Rolfe on Wednesday before addressing MPs in the Commons for the second reading of the Civil Aviation Bill, the Independent reported. Ryanair chief operating officer Neal McMahon called for Rolfe's resignation over what he called "repeated mismanagement," and Wizz Air said NATS was "not fit for purpose in its current form." The Civil Aviation Authority said it would require a full report from NATS and would then consider whether further steps are needed.
Abta said travellers with cancelled or delayed flights have rights that vary depending on how their trip was booked, including compensation of between £220 and £520 in cash if informed of a cancellation less than two weeks ahead and no comparable alternative is offered.
What this means for your journey: if you're flying from Heathrow in the coming days, check your flight status directly with your airline before setting off, since delays and cancellations stemming from Tuesday's fault are still working through the schedule. If you're meeting a delayed or rebooked passenger, see our /taxis/ page for pickup options at each terminal.