# UK Air Traffic Glitch Cuts 2000 Flights

> A millisecond software glitch caused 2,000 UK flights to cancel.
- Title: UK Air Traffic Glitch Cuts 2000 Flights · Seattletimes
- Summary: A millisecond software glitch caused 2,000 UK flights to cancel. NATS blamed a millisecond software defect for 2,000 UK flight cancellations.
- Keywords: nats, flight cancellations, software glitch, air traffic control, millisecond, news, local, Air, Traffic, Glitch, Cuts, 2000
- Source: Seattletimes — https://seattletimes.com/business/uk-air-traffic-controller-blames-a-millisecond-software-glitch-for-flight-cancellations
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: uk, nats, flight cancellations, software glitch, air traffic control, millisecond, news, local
## Flight Cancellations
A preliminary report blamed a millisecond-software defect for over 2,000 flight cancellations in the uk last week.

> A preliminary report Friday blamed a millisecond-software defect for the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in and out of the United Kingdom last week
## Nats Explains Cause
Nats said the sept 8 software glitch caused airport chaos rather than human failings.

> Nats, formerly known as national air traffic services, said friday that the glitch on sept. 8 was behind the mayhem at british airports and beyond, rather than any human failings
## Software Defect Details
The national airspace system software defect affected flight radar identification codes.

> It said a software defect in the national airspace system, which allocates codes so air traffic controllers can identify flights on radar, was behind the decision to ax the flights
## Rolling Back Impact
The glitch stranded passengers for hours and took days to clear up.

> The chaos, which stranded passengers for hours on airport runways and in terminals and took days to clear up, was the latest embarrassment to afflict nats
## Nats Chief Response
Martin rolfe said it was a software issue in a specific flight data system subsection.

> He said, adding that mitigation measures are in place while a permanent fix is tested and deployed
## Government Action
U.k. transport secretary heidi alexander ordered nats to complete full investigation and independent review.

> U.k. transport secretary heidi alexander met with rolfe in the aftermath of the flight chaos and ordered his organization to complete a full investigation into the incident
## Key takeaway

NATS blamed a millisecond software defect for 2,000 UK flight cancellations.