Statement following publication of NATS report into last week’s air traffic control technical failure

Responding to the NATS preliminary report into the air traffic control technical failure on Monday 28 August 2023, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

I welcome NATS’ preliminary report outlining the facts of last week’s air traffic control technical failure – particularly the confirmation that there were no safety issues as a result.

I also welcome the announcement from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of an independent review to dig deeper into this event and understand whether there are any further steps to be taken to improve the resilience of the air traffic control system.

Thousands of passengers faced disruption as a result of the failure, with over 1500 flights cancelled and hundreds more delayed. I once again want to echo NATS’s apology to those who were caught up in it, with a technical fix now identified to ensure that such an incident does not recur.

I will chair a further meeting between NATS, the CAA and the aviation industry tomorrow (7 September 2023) to allow NATS to present its findings and consider initial feedback from airlines.