UK regulator to review NATS air traffic control failure

The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed it will examine the causes of a technical failure that began on 8 September in systems operated by NATS, the UK air traffic control provider. The review will also measure the direct impact on users, based on a report NATS has produced on the origins of the disruption.

The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said she wanted the reasons established and the sector held to account. "In recent weeks, passengers and airlines have been let down too many times, and I am determined to get to the bottom of the reasons," she said, adding that she expects answers and actions to follow.

The regulator set out four areas for the technical and operational audit: the causes and impact of the failure; additional corrective measures to be made mandatory; NATS plans to renew, replace and modernise its critical operating systems; and how far earlier recommendations have been implemented, alongside lessons drawn from international practice.

A NATS spokesperson told Reuters the organisation welcomed publication of the scope set by the CAA and would cooperate fully through the process.

The failure led several European airlines to cancel flights or run severely delayed schedules. The review is the second in three years in which the CAA has had to scrutinise a large-scale collapse of the provider's operating systems.