CAA to launch independent review of air traffic control failure

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will conduct an independent review into the technical issue that the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) faced on Monday 28 August.

Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled.

NATS sent its preliminary technical report to the CAA last week, which laid out the causes of the issue and actions taken to rectify and mitigate the effects.

It found the incident occurred due to an anomaly that forced the system to stop processing flight plans. The system was closed to maintain safety and required manual operation to continue service.

The CAA will now independently review the wider issues around the system failure and look at how NATS responded to the incident.

Rob Bishton, Joint-Interim Chief Executive at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Millions of passengers every year rely on air traffic control to work smoothly and safely.

“The initial report by NATS raises several important questions and as the regulator we want to make sure these are answered for passengers and industry.

“If there is evidence to suggest NATS may have breached its statutory and licensing obligations we will consider whether any further action is necessary.”

The review will also set out lessons to be learned for the future for the benefit of consumers and the industry.