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Edinburgh Airport's chief executive, Mr Dewar, expressed frustration over recent air traffic control issues during an announcement at the airport. He noted delays and cancellations on Monday morning and criticized the system’s lack of robustness. First Minister John Swinney also commented, acknowledging the disruption and emphasizing the need for improved resilience in air traffic control services. Nats confirmed that while airports south of Manchester were largely unaffected, flights departing from Scottish airports faced delays, advising passengers to check with their airlines.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Monday, Nats, Britain's air traffic control provider, faced renewed criticism after a "connectivity issue" at its Prestwick center in Scotland caused delays and disruptions to flights across Scotland and northern England. This incident is the second major disruption within two weeks, following a software fault on September 8 that canceled over 2,000 flights and affected hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Ryanair estimated that more than 25,000 of its passengers were impacted by Monday's delays, with around 140 flights delayed. The company's chief operations officer, Neal McMahon, called for the resignation of Nats CEO Martin Rolfe, accusing him of presiding over repeated system failures and passenger disruption.
EasyJet also criticized the resilience of Nats' systems, stating that the latest incident "calls into question" their reliability. Meanwhile, Airlines UK CEO Tim Alderslade emphasized the need for ATC infrastructure to be resilient enough to keep people moving, calling the recent failure a significant issue affecting both passengers and airlines.
Despite growing calls for Rolfe's resignation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not publicly back Rolfe but stated that it was initially up to the Transport Secretary to investigate the cause of these recurring issues.
Written for “Air Traffic Control Issues” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
Mr Dewar spoke to journalists as part of an unrelated announcement at Edinburgh Airport.
asserted
Dewar → speak → Airport
He told the Press Association: “We’re still in the middle of this, another Nats failure that’s come hot on the heels of the last one, which is incredibly disappointing and frustrating.”
asserted
which → tell → one
Mr Dewar said there had been some delays and cancellations at the airport on Monday morning.
asserted
Dewar → say → morning
He continued: “The system is clearly not working – twice in the last few weeks.
asserted
system → continue → weeks
“It’s national infrastructure that we’re all dependent upon.”
asserted
we → ’ → that
Mr Dewar said the system is not sufficiently robust and “something needs to change”.
asserted
something → say → ?
He added: “Of course, when flights are cancelled, that means aircraft are in the wrong place for the next one.
“
asserted
aircraft → add → one
Potentially this could ripple through to tomorrow as well.
uncertain
this → ripple → tomorrow
“So, we’re just working incredibly hard to look after people that are delayed or have to make other plans, make sure the operation can be the best it possibly can in the circumstances.
uncertain
it → work → circumstances
“And help the airlines get back on to the schedule – hopefully by later today.”
asserted
airlines → help → schedule
He said both Nats and the Government should ensure there are not any more “repeat errors”.
asserted
Nats → say → ?
First Minister John Swinney also spoke about the Nats issue as he visited Edinburgh Airport on Monday.
asserted
he → speak → Monday
He said: “It’s very regrettable that there’s been an issue with the air traffic control system today and that members of the public have experienced disruption as a result.
asserted
members → say → result
“I’m glad the issues are now resolved and that flights are able to take their normal course, but it demonstrates of all organisations, particularly the air traffic control system, having resilience, being able to withstand issues in the systems, so that people can rely on the services that are being provided.
asserted
that → ’m → services
“So, we’ll engage with the national air traffic control service to ensure that these issues are addressed and that the resilience is necessary for these systems is available at all times.”
asserted
is → engage → times
Nats has said airports south of Manchester had been “broadly unaffected” on Monday, but that flights heading north and departing from Scottish airports had been experiencing some delays.
asserted
flights → say → delays
Read More
“Passengers should check with their airlines.
asserted
Passengers → read → airlines
We apologise for the disruption,” Nats said.
asserted
Nats → apologise → disruption
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