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Airports chaos caused by software glitch
Government orders probe into UK airport software glitch after thousands of flights canceled.
In brief
Government orders probe into UK airport software glitch after thousands of flights canceled. UK government found a software glitch caused last week's airport chaos but refused to sack NATS boss despite repeated failures. Originally reported by Dailymail.
Software glitch causes airport chaos
A preliminary report found a software malfunction in the space of a millisecond caused thousands of flights to be canceled last week.
NATS system failure details
The National Air Traffic Services probe found the software defect paused a code request when it received a higher-priority task message.
Software defect triggers chain reaction
When the code request resumed, the software defect meant it didn't restart correctly, triggering thousands of flights to be grounded.
No human error involved
The report found the meltdown was not caused by human error or any incorrect actions by military or civil operators.
Transport Secretary orders review
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander ordered the Civil Aviation Authority to review NATS findings and investigate their investment plans.
NATS boss given week to report
NATS boss Martin Rolfe was given a week to report on the reasons for grounding over 2,000 flights.
NATS boss faces criticism
NATS boss Martin Rolfe has received £2.2million in bonuses over three years despite two high-profile failures in 2023 and 2024.
NATS boss confirms software issue
Rolfe confirmed the incident was a software issue in a specific part of their flight data system, not caused by incorrect actions.
Rolfe promises mitigation
Rolfe said the issue has been identified and mitigation is in place while a permanent fix is safety tested and deployed.
Rolfe commits to report
Rolfe promised a major incident report would be completed within two months following a full investigation.
Alexander criticizes NATS
Alexander said the disruption was completely unacceptable and she needs to understand why the issue wasn't discovered and fixed before causing chaos.
CAA review underway
The Civil Aviation Authority will conduct an independent review of NATS findings and investigate their investment plans for future resilience.
NATS has history of failures
NATS previously caused disruptions in August 2023 with over 700,000 passengers affected and last July with over 160 flights canceled.
Government avoids sacking NATS boss
Despite airlines demanding NATS boss Martin Rolfe be sacked, the government has dodged calls for his removal.
Passengers affected
Hundreds of thousands of passengers suffered cancellations or nightmare delays at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted airports.
What happens next
The CAA report on NATS's findings is due to be published within six months to ensure aviation sector resilience.
In short
UK government found a software glitch caused last week's airport chaos but refused to sack NATS boss despite repeated failures.
