Resumption of air traffic control after a technical failure in the UK

• The technical failure at NATS led to the cancellation of over 150 flights.
• The Minister of Transport is gathering to meet with the head of NATS to discuss the situation.
• Airlines are demanding explanations and criticizing NATS's management.

The air traffic control in the UK was resumed after a technical failure in the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) systems, which occurred on July 30, 2025. The failure, linked to the radar, lasted only 20 minutes and resulted in the cancellation of over 150 flights, causing significant inconvenience for thousands of passengers.

NATS reported that the problem was identified at 16:05 and was quickly resolved through a transition to the backup system. Although the system was restored, delays in flights continue due to accumulated hold-ups.

The Minister of Transport, Alexander Hayde, announced that flights began to resume in the evening of July 30, but delays persist, as airlines are trying to get passengers to their final destinations. He plans to meet with NATS head Martin Rolfe to discuss the incident and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Among the airlines that expressed their dissatisfaction with the failure were EasyJet and Ryanair. Ryanair officer Neil McMahon described the situation as "absolutely unacceptable" and called for the resignation of Rolfe due to "incompetent management." EasyJet also expressed its discontent, stating that this repeated failure indicated a significant negligence of standards regarding passenger safety.

According to analytics company Cirium, on the evening of July 30, 84 departures and 71 arrivals were canceled at airports in Great Britain. The largest cancellations occurred at Heathrow Airport, where 29 flights were not dispatched.

Although the NATS system was not linked to cyberattacks, delays continue to disrupt passengers, many of whom remain without information about their flights.

Tags: Aviation