London: Airlines have reacted angrily after a radar-related technical failure in the UK’s air traffic control systems led to the cancellation of more than 150 flights, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers during one of the busiest periods of the year.
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) issued an apology for the IT failure, which was detected at 4:05 pm and resolved within 20 minutes by switching operations to a backup system.
Despite the quick fix, significant travel disruption followed, leading airline leaders to criticise NATS for repeated failures and inadequate crisis management.
Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely.
We apologise to everyone affected by this issue.
(2/2)— NATS (@NATS) July 30, 2025
Ryanair’s Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon described the incident as ‘utterly unacceptable’ and called for the immediate resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe.
McMahon accused Rolfe of ongoing mismanagement and claimed no improvements had been made since a major outage in August 2023 that impacted more than 700,000 passengers. The CEO urged the government to step in if Rolfe refuses to step down, calling on Transport Minister Heidi Alexander to remove Rolfe and reform what he labelled a ‘shambolic’ air traffic control service.
However, the Department for Transport clarified that Ms Alexander holds no direct authority over NATS operations or personnel decisions. Echoing Ryanair’s frustration, EasyJet’s Chief Operating Officer David Morgan said that the failure was ‘extremely disappointing’ and criticised the recurrence of such issues during critical travel periods.
Morgan added that while EasyJet’s immediate priority was assisting affected passengers, the airline expects a detailed explanation from NATS on how it will prevent similar failures in the future. A spokesperson for NATS confirmed that the problem was not cyber-related and reiterated that the traffic reduction during the switchover to the backup system was done to ensure safety.
Flights have since resumed across UK airports, but travellers are still being urged to verify flight statuses with their airlines before heading to the airport.
The incident drew political attention, with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey demanding an urgent investigation and referencing the previous disruption in 2023. Davey said that, “With thousands of families preparing to go on a well-earned break, this just isn’t good enough. The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.”
Under UK and EU aviation rules, passengers affected by delays or cancellations involving UK airlines or UK airports may be entitled to compensation. However, airlines can be exempt from this obligation if the disruption stems from ‘extraordinary circumstances’ as defined by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.
NATS has not yet issued a formal response to the calls for Martin Rolfe’s resignation.
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