air traffic control service

More than 700,000 passengers suffered cancellations and delays in August 2023 due to the computer shutdown at NATS, the UK's air traffic control service.

The technical failure that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and severe disruptions for thousands of people traveling in and out of in Britain last week resulted from a “one in 15 million chance,” the country’s air traffic control service said on Wednesday.

The British air traffic control service experienced a “technical issue” on Monday, causing delays to flights and significant disruption to air travel in and out of Britain.

There are hundreds of vacancies in the UK's air traffic control service amid a national shortage, union bosses have warned.

"Given France's geography, most flights from the UK and Ireland to Spain and Portugal would normally overfly France and be controlled by its air traffic control service."