Aviation minister praised ATC resilience hours before nationwide service collapse

During a written parliamentary question, Aviation minister Keir Mather asserted that new laws had bolstered the UK's air traffic control resilience and that the system was well-prepared for incidents. The following day, one outlet Air Traffic Services experienced a four-hour technical failure, leading to the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights and disrupting over 330,000 passengers at airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted.

NATS chief Martin Rolfe, who earned £1.4 million in pay and bonuses last year, faced renewed criticism and calls for his resignation after previous meltdowns in 2023 and 2022. Opposition transport spokesperson Richard Holden blamed Labour's "supreme hubris" for the fallout, while airline leaders like Ryanair's Michael O'Leary also demanded Rolfe's removal. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has asked NATS to produce a detailed report on the incident within a week.