Gatwick flights cancelled - latest: Calls for air traffic control chief to quit as Covid disruption continues
Nats chief has taken ‘no action’ to resolve air-traffic control staff shortages, Ryanair said
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Ryanair has demanded the chief executive of air traffic control provider Nats “step down” over Covid-related staff shortages that have caused widespread disruption.
Staff sickness in the control tower meant the “flow rate” of flights using the world’s busiest runway was reduced. Fifty flights to and from Gatwick Airport were cancelled or diverted, while many other services were delayed by up to seven hours.
An estimated 8,000 passengers were left out of position, with eight flights grounded between Gatwick and Belfast – six to and from the Northern Ireland capital’s International airport, and two serving Belfast City.
“It is the most basic requirement to hire and train adequate staff numbers including standby coverage,” a statement from Ryanair read, adding that it pays Nats almost €100m (£87m) annually for air-traffic control services.
“It is clear that Nats CEO, Martin Rolfe, has taken no action to resolve these air-traffic control staff shortages and should now do the right thing and step down as Nats CEO so that someone competent can do the job. We call on the CAA to immediately intervene and protect passengers from this ongoing UK air-traffic control shambles.”
Have you been affected by cancellations? Email alexander.butler@independent.co.uk
ICYMI: Airport chaos as hundreds of holidaymakers queue for hours after e-gates close
Last week, hundreds of holidaymakers were forced to queue for hours as e-gate passport control gates stopped working in airports across the country.
Families with children and elderly passengers faced lengthy wait times overnight, with reportedly limited staff on shift at Gatwick and Luton to assist with the situation.
Several customers took to social media to express their outrage, with one user writing that it was a “shambles”.
Holly Evans reports:
Airport chaos as hundreds of holidaymakers queue for hours after e-gates close
E-gates closed across the country for a planned routine maintenance check
Passenger ‘can’t believe’ lack of planning
Daniel Wilkes, a consultant psychiatrist from Angus, was booked on the 7.15pm flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh last night. It was cancelled at 8.40pm.
He told The Independent: “I just can’t believe the lack of contingency planning from Nats for staff sickness and that this is happening again.
“Plus, airports and airlines have had quite a while to firm up their processes for cancellations, and yet always the poorly managed scrum ensues. Bizarrely, we were made to exit through border control. I didn’t even have my passport as it was a domestic flight.”
Why is Gatwick still having air traffic control problems?
Simon Calder answers your questions on minimum pricing for flights, unheard-of airlines with no entertainment, and being stranded at the airport late at night.
Read more:
Why is Gatwick still having air traffic control problems?
Simon Calder answers your questions on minimum pricing for flights, unheard-of airlines with no entertainment, and being stranded at the airport late at night
ICYMI: Covid flight cancellations are back as thousands grounded after virus hits Gatwick air-traffic controllers
An outbreak of Covid has been blamed for the third air-traffic control slowdown at London Gatwick so far this month.
Staff sickness in the control tower meant the “flow rate” of flights using the world’s busiest runway was reduced.
Fifty flights to and from the Sussex airport were cancelled or diverted, while many other services were delayed by up to seven hours.
Simon Calder has more:
Covid flight cancellations return after virus hits Gatwick air-traffic controllers
An estimated 8,000 passengers were left out of position
What is Nats?
Nats (National Air Traffic Services) provides en-route air traffic control services to flights, controlling the air traffic across a number of UK airports.
It was first created in 1962 to be used by the UK’s military and civil servants, but was restructured in 1992 to become a limited company. From then onwards, it was a subsidiary of the Civil Aviation Authority, which ended the direct involvement of military officers.
The Transport Act (2000) later brought Nats into public-private ownership, with 51 per cent of the company transferred to the private sector.
Ryanair urges Nats boss to quit over Gatwick ‘mess’ – but promises no cancellations
Ryanair says it won’t cancel any flights despite a cap on arrivals and departures at Gatwick airport, and has demanded the chief executive of air traffic control provider Nats “step down” over staff shortages.
Europe’s biggest budget carrier has a relatively small presence at the Sussex airport, with no aircraft based there. The main operation is between Gatwick and Dublin.
In an angry statement, Ryanair said it pays Nats almost €100m (£87m) annually for air-traffic control services.
Simon Calder reports:
Ryanair demands air traffic control chief quit over Gatwick ‘mess’
‘It is the most basic requirement to hire and train adequate staff numbers,’ says Ryanair
‘We have worked very closely with Gatwick Airport throughout’ - Nats
Nats has maintained that the organisation has worked “very closely” with Gatwick Airport throughout the disruption to flights caused by staff sickness.
“We have worked very closely with Gatwick airport throughout”, a spokesperson for Nats said.
“Given the levels of sickness we have experienced over the last few weeks we believe it is the responsible thing to do to limit the number of flights this week in order to reduce the risk of daily disruption to passengers using the airport.
“We have trained as many air traffic controllers as possible this year in the Gatwick tower and have safely managed over 180,000 flights so far.
“However, with 30% of tower staff unavailable for a variety of medical reasons including Covid, we cannot manage the number of flights that were originally planned for this week.
Nats previously said it is “working in line” with a staffing plan agreed with Gatwick bosses when it took over the provision of ATC services at the airport in October 2022, which includes training further controllers.
Nats has ‘repeatedly let down customers all summer’, said easyJet chief earlier this month
Earlier this month, easyJet’s CEO accused National Air Traffic Services (Nats) of letting “down customers all summer.”
Forty-two flights at Gatwick were cancelled or diverted on 15 September and many more were delayed the same evening due to a staffing shortage in the control tower at the West Sussex airport.
There was a similar incident on 6 September, and a Nats technical glitch on 28 August caused widespread disruption at airports across the UK.
At the time, easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “Persistent staff shortages at Nats have plagued the industry and repeatedly let down customers all summer, having caused more than a month’s worth of disruption.
“This cannot be allowed to continue.
“Immediate action must be taken to fix the staffing shortages now while a more wide-ranging review examines broader issues to ensure Nats delivers robust services to passengers now and in the future.”
What’s the problem at Gatwick Airport and which flights will be cancelled?
In an unprecedented move, Gatwick Airport has ordered airlines to cancel dozens of flights because of sickness among air-traffic controllers – which is currently running at 30 per cent of the available staff.
Cancellations, diversions and delays have happened frequently this month due to staff shortage at Nats, which runs the control tower.
Aircraft movements will be capped at 800 per day at the Sussex airport, which normally has the busiest runway in the world.
Gatwick Airport says: “The daily cap will prevent last-minute cancellations and delays for passengers while Nats work through challenges driven by sickness and staffing constraints.
As the biggest airline at Gatwick, easyJet will bear the brunt of the cancellations. British Airways, Ryanair, Tui, Vueling and Wizz Air are expected to be among other carriers whose schedules will be affected.
More here:
What’s the problem at Gatwick Airport and which flights will be cancelled
25,000 passengers are expected to be told in the next few days that their flights have been culled
30 per cent of Gatwick NATS tower staff unavailable for ‘variety of medical reasons’ including Covid
30 per cent of NATS tower staff at Gatwick are currently unavailable for a “variety of medical reasons” including Covid, the airport has said.
On Monday, Gatwick limited flights to 800 per day until Sunday 1 October in an effort to prevent last-minute cancellations and delays “whilst NATS work through challenges driven by sickness and staffing constraints.”
Before the cap was put in place, the movements anticipated for the week were as follows:
Tuesday - 800
Wednesday - 829
Thursday - 840
Friday - 865
Saturday - 800
Sunday - 830.
“This has been a difficult decision but the action we have taken means our airlines can fly reliable flight programmes, which gives passengers more certainty that they will not face last minute cancellations”, Stewart Wingate, CEO of London Gatwick, said.
“We are working closely with NATS to build resilience in the control tower, and this decision means we can prevent as much disruptions as possible.
“London Gatwick would like to apologise to any passengers who have been impacted by these restrictions.”
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