- A previously unknown software defect in National Air Traffic Services' flight data system caused an air traffic control outage on 8 September, affecting over 2,000 flights and 300,000 passengers, according to a new report.
- The issue occurred when a valid manual request for a squawk code, or aircraft identification code, was paused for a higher-priority task and subsequently resumed incorrectly, corrupting the system's output.
- Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe said that the glitch was unrelated to a August 2023 system failure and ruled out military involvement or a cyber-attack.
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the disruption completely unacceptable and commissioned the Civil Aviation Authority to launch an independent review.
- Nats has implemented a temporary mitigation to prevent a recurrence while a permanent software fix is safety tested and deployed.
IN FULL
Cause of last week’s UK air travel chaos revealed by new report
