# Airports chaos caused by software glitch

> Government orders probe into UK airport software glitch after thousands of flights canceled.
- Title: Airports chaos caused by software glitch · Dailymail
- Summary: Government orders probe into UK airport software glitch after thousands of flights canceled. UK government found a software glitch caused last week's airport…
- Keywords: airports, nats, software, flight cancellations, transport secretary, heidi alexander, martin rolfe, flight data system, software malfunction, news, entertainment, chaos
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/article-16142133/Airports-chaos-caused-software-glitch-officials-Government-orders-probe-dodges-sacking-fire-NATS-boss.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-18T13:03:16+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: uk, airports, nats, software, flight cancellations, transport secretary, heidi alexander, martin rolfe, flight data system, software malfunction, news, entertainment
## 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.
## Key takeaway

UK government found a software glitch caused last week's airport chaos but refused to sack NATS boss despite repeated failures.