Gatwick Airport passengers experienced significant delays this Saturday following a system meltdown that grounded flights. Reports emerged around 8 AM of planes stranded on the tarmac at the West Sussex airport.
The airport confirmed that the air traffic control outage had been resolved, yet apologized for the continuing delays. The incident impacted numerous departures and arrivals, with football fans heading to Premier League games among the affected.
Response to the Outage
A London Gatwick spokesperson stated: «There was an outage to a local NATS system this morning which has now been rectified. Some passengers may experience delays. We apologize for any inconvenience.»
This disruption led to one flight cancellation, two diversions, and extended waits for baggage collection, sparking frustration among passengers.
On social media, passengers expressed their displeasure, citing waits of up to three hours for baggage. In response to queries, Gatwick Airport reiterated the NATS system outage and its resolution.
A NATS spokesperson commented, «For a short period this morning, we had a technical issue that was quickly fixed. To ensure safety, departures were temporarily paused but resumed around 8 AM. We are collaborating with airlines to minimize delays and apologize for any impacted journeys.»
Renewed Criticism from Ryanair
Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary, renewed criticism of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe, citing his management during the repeated system failures, including today’s incident and a prior failure on August 28. O’Leary calls for Rolfe’s resignation or dismissal, highlighting the recurring issues under his leadership.
«After the August NATS system failure Martin Rolfe claimed it was a 1 in 15 million tech glitch. Yet here we are again 3 months later, and UK NATS fails again at Gatwick. Thousands of passengers today face long delays, diversions, and cancellations as NATS under Martin Rolfe’s incompetent leadership fails again. It’s time for Martin Rolfe to go.»
«At an annual package of over £1.5m this clown has repeatedly shown he is incompetent. If he won’t quit, then transport minister Mark Harper (who owns 50% of NATS) should fire him. These repeated UK NATS system failures are unique to the UK and are not repeated in any other European ATC service. Our passengers want a competent UK ATCH service and Martin Rolfe has repeatedly shown he can’t deliver it. He should go and let someone competent run UK ATC”
