London, Sept. 10 -- A technical failure in the UK's air traffic control system disrupted flight operations across the country for a second consecutive day, with more than 2,000 flights cancelled over two days. The disruption affected 15 airports, including major hubs such as Heathrow, and left several passengers travelling on India-UK routes stranded or facing lengthy delays.
The disruption was linked to a problem in the flight processing system operated by the UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The agency said the original technical fault was resolved on Tuesday afternoon, but its impact continued into Wednesday as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crew that had been left at different airports.
On Wednesday, 291 flights were cancelled at UK airports, including 120 departures and 171 arrivals, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. The cancellations represented about 5% of the 5,869 flights scheduled that day, compared with the normal cancellation rate of around 1% to 2%. The situation was considerably worse on Tuesday, when about 30.1% of the 5,800 scheduled flights were either cancelled or did not operate. The disruption also affected flights between India and the UK, with seven of the 24 services scheduled from India to the UK cancelled by 4 pm on Wednesday.
Air India and IndiGo were among the carriers affected. IndiGo's Mumbai-London flight 6E001 was diverted to Amsterdam on Tuesday, while its Delhi-London service 6E003 was diverted to Paris. Both flights were subsequently cancelled on Wednesday. Four Air India flights operating to London were also diverted on Tuesday and cancelled the following day. The disruption left passengers dealing with extended delays, rebooking and difficulties reaching their destinations. Among those affected was Rajya Sabha member Milind Deora, who was travelling on the Mumbai-London IndiGo service. After the flight was diverted to Amsterdam, he said he had been stranded at the airport for nearly 24 hours. Because the aircraft had been diverted and passengers remained technically in transit, he said the airline was unable to simply release passengers' checked baggage.
Travel from Amsterdam to London was further complicated by a public transport strike in the Netherlands, which meant that taking a train to London was not an available alternative for affected passengers. The disruption was caused by a failure in the flight processing system used by NATS. While the technical problem itself was resolved, the resulting disruption continued because aircraft and crew were no longer positioned where airlines needed them for subsequent flights. The incident has also triggered criticism of the UK's air traffic control system. Airlines called for NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe to consider stepping down following what was described as the second major air traffic breakdown in three years. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met Rolfe on Wednesday and gave him a week to complete a full investigation into the incident. Despite the criticism, the UK government, which owns a 49% stake in NATS, said it continued to have confidence in Rolfe.
Rolfe apologised for the disruption but maintained that the UK's air traffic control system remains among the safest and most efficient in the world. The latest failure has raised concerns about the reliability of the UK's air traffic infrastructure, particularly given the wider impact of technical problems on international travel. For passengers travelling between India and the UK, the disruption resulted in cancellations, diversions, prolonged waits and difficulties caused by aircraft and crew being out of position.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.