UK airport chaos live updates: Ryanair boss calls for air traffic chief to resign over Gatwick flight delays
Thousands of passengers flying to and from the UK have had their flights cancelled after a combination of bad weather and air-traffic control staff shortages
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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has issued fresh calls for the resignation of the chief executive of air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats.
Mr O’Leary urged Martin Rolfe to step down and “allow someone competent” to take over after flights were disrupted at Gatwick Airport on Sunday due to “Nats staff shortages”.
Analysis of data from flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows 49 departures and 51 arrivals were cancelled on Sunday between 3pm and midnight, affecting more than 16,000 passengers.
“Ryanair again calls on UK Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe to step down and allow someone competent to run an efficient UK ATC service, which airlines and passengers are entitled to expect,” Mr O’Leary said.
“If he won’t go, then (new Transport Secretary) Louise Haigh should sack him.”
Around 3,500 passengers expecting to fly to or from London Gatwick on 20 flights on Monday morning have been grounded. Most are booked on easyJet, which cancelled its first flight of the day, to Ibiza, and six others including links to Naples and Nice.
Passengers were told the cause was “air-traffic control restrictions” outside the airline’s control.
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Simon Calder discusses disruption to 50,000 passengers at Gatwick and Heathrow on weekend of travel chaos
UK flight chaos continues with dozens more cancellations at Gatwick and Heathrow
British Airways blames air-traffic control restrictions and bad weather for weekend cancellations
After cancelling more than 250 flights between Friday and Monday – affecting around 40,000 passengers – British Airways has issued a statement pinning responsibility on air-traffic control problems across Europe.
A BA spokesperson said: “We operate hundreds of flights every day without disruption, successfully getting tens of thousands of our customers to where they need to be.
“Along with other airlines, we’ve had to make some small adjustments to our schedule because of air traffic control restrictions caused by adverse weather.
“Whilst the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to help get journeys back on track.”
Under passengers’ rights rules, British Airways must provide alternative flights as soon as possible and, if necessary, hotel rooms.
Full report: UK flight chaos continues with dozens more cancellations at Gatwick and Heathrow
The Independent’s Travel Correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Flight chaos continues with dozens more cancellations at Gatwick and Heathrow
Exclusive: British Airways and easyJet have grounded dozens more flights as Ryanair demands the resignation of air-traffic control boss
How to spot a social media travel scam – and avoid losing hundreds of pounds
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Read below to see how to avoid social media travel scams.
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Flight delays continue at Gatwick but passengers spared cancellations
Flight delays at Gatwick appeared to continue on Tuesday morning, with more than 100 flights departing more than 10 minutes after they were supposed to, according to a tally by The Independent.
However there were no cancellations so far at Gatwick, and only a single flight – the 7:30am British Airways carrier to Glasgow – had been cancelled at Heathrow.
Gatwick apologises for recent disruption
Gatwick Airport has apologised to those who experienced disruption as a result of air traffic control shortages.
A Gatwick spokeswoman said provider Nats has “successfully increased the number of air traffic controllers over recent months”, adding: “So far this year, London Gatwick has safely handled more than 170,000 flights through Nats, a 4 per cent increase on last year.
“The Nats service has been fully available more than 99.6 per cent of the time, operating 24 hours a day. London Gatwick typically has 800 or more flight movements a day from a single runway.
“We will continue to work closely with the Nats leadership team to provide passengers and airlines with a good service. London Gatwick would like to apologise to any passengers who experienced disruption yesterday.”
Dozens more flights depart late at Gatwick
Dozens of flights have departed after their schedued take-off time at Gatwick since our last update this morning, however there have still been no cancellations.
British Airways: What’s going wrong?
British airline passengers often fail to appreciate just how lucky they are. The UK is the main base of operations for easyJet and Ryanair: Europe’s biggest budget airlines, offering wider horizons at lower fares than any other country in Europe. Jet2 and Virgin Atlantic have well-earned reputations for excellent service.
And that leaves British Airways with a formidable challenge.
No other national carrier endures such intense competition on its home turf. Air France and Lufthansa face challenges from low-cost airlines, but not to the same intensity; and they can fight back with their own budget brands, Transavia and Eurowings respectively. Long haul, all European airlines fight to retain passengers against rivals from the west and, more particularly, Gulf and Asian carriers to the east.
But only BA has a home-grown competitor of the scale and quality of Virgin Atlantic on all the most lucrative routes from London Heathrow.
British Airways, though, has a superpower: the majority of slots at the world’s most desirable international airport. BA’s portfolio of more than 50 per cent of the precious permissions to take off and land comprises the most valuable intangible property in aviation.
The Independent’s travel corresponent Simon Calder has more analysis here:
British Airways cancellations and delays: What’s causing so many problems?
With delays and cancellations once again plaguing the national carrier, Simon Calder delves into the challenges faced by BA – including intense competion from budget airlines and complexity of crew schedules
Flights delayed for three hours straight at Gatwick, analysis suggests
Some 173 out of the 206 flights – 83 per cent – to take off from Gatwick Airport today prior to 12:30pm departed after their scheduled take-off time, analysis by The Independent of FlightRadar24 data suggests.
Between 7:40am and 11am, not a single flight appears to have departed on time.
Ask Simon Calder | What’s my best bet to escape the gloomiest month of the year?
Independent reader Sanj L has written in to say: “I need a holiday with at least some warmth. November is the best month for me but I am not sure where to go or when to book.”
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder replies: “A shrewd choice of month. I find November in the UK the most dismal month of the year – but conveniently, it also offers the very best value. The benefit of some Mediterranean sunshine is at its most valuable in the 11th month of the year and with no school holidays to drive up demand, you can expect cheap packages (or, if you prefer to arrange accommodation yourself, bargain-basement flights).
“The corollary is that the supply of holidays and flights is not as high as at other times of the year. Yet there is still a good amount of choice. This is my top three:
What’s my best bet to escape the gloomiest month of the year?
Simon Calder answers your queries on early winter sun breaks, exchanging money for a Turkey trip, and dealing with the impending Air Canada pilots’ strike
Need a holiday? How to nab a bargain trip before Christmas
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
The September slump in holiday prices is well under way, with proper package holidays in the rest of the month available for £300 or less.
Later in the autumn and early winter, an escape to the Mediterranean, Adriatic or Atlantic is even more beneficial. Once the October half-term holiday is out of the away, prices fall still further. An all-inclusive package in Turkey is available for just £50 per day, and a DIY week on the coast of Albania for an absurd £135.
These are the best deals I have found today:
Need a holiday? Take advantage of the September slump and nab a bargain before Xmas
Exclusive: A week on Albania’s Adriatic coast in November is all yours for £135 per person
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