Connect with us

Published

on

Hundreds of Ryanair passengers have been left “stranded” on a Spanish island after a technical fault affected air traffic control.

They were among thousands of passengers stuck abroad when their flights were cancelled as a UK air traffic control failure meant flight plans had to be input manually by controllers.

Marco McCool told Sky News around 300 Ryanair passengers returning from Gran Canaria to Edinburgh had been stranded in the airport in “absolutely shocking” conditions with no food, no accommodation and “not enough” water.

He said the holidaymakers were initially told their flight was delayed before they arrived at the gate only to learn it had been cancelled because the cabin crew were over their recommended hours.

The abandoned travellers were then told the next direct flight would be at least another week away and there was “zero chance” of an emergency flight.

The cancelled flight later returned to Edinburgh without any passengers, he claimed.

Impact could last for days – live updates

SHARE WITH SKY NEWS

Are you affected by the disruption? You can share your story, pictures or video with us using our app, private messaging or email.

:: Your Report on Sky News apps

:: WhatsApp

:: Email

By sending us your video footage/ photographs/ audio you agree we can broadcast, publish and edit the material.

Mr McCool, a 19-year-old student, said the stranded passengers were having to stay in the airport while they waited for more information because they were unable to book accommodation.

He described children sleeping on the hard floor and using their suitcases as pillows while cockroaches crawled around nearby.

Mr McCool said the passengers were initially given a crate of water bottles – but not enough for everyone – and have not been provided with food or vouchers.

He described how he and his girlfriend were “sitting on a dirty floor with cockroaches and no food”.

Read more:
What we know about system failure and how it’s affecting flights

What have airports said about the disruption?

While NATS has confirmed it has fixed the technical issue with the UK’s air traffic control system, airports have warned the disruption it has caused will continue. Here’s what some of them have said.

London Luton Airport: “Flights may be subject to delay or cancellation as a result of yesterday’s technical issues with Air Traffic Control systems across UK airspace. Please check with your airline for the latest status of your flight.”

Manchester Airport: “As a result of the nationwide technical problem experienced by NATS earlier today, there continues to be flight disruption, including delays and cancellations.”

Newcastle International Airport: “We understand that the technical issue with National Air Traffic Services is now resolved, but it will take some time for operations to get back to normal.”

London Stansted Airport expects to run a normal flight schedule on Tuesday 29 August, following the nationwide technical issue that affected air traffic control. “We do still advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport. As our airlines look to accommodate passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted over the past 24 hours, our terminal may be busier than anticipated.
Our teams will be working with our airlines and their handing agents to get you through the airport as smoothly as possible. Thank-you for your understanding.”

Heathrow Airport: We apologise for any inconvenience as a result of the NATS technical issues today. The issue has been resolved however schedules remain significantly disrupted. If you are travelling on 29th August, please ensure you contact your airline before travelling to the airport.

Gatwick Airport plans to operate a normal schedule on Tuesday 29 August following disruption today (28 August). Passengers are however advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to the airport.

‘We have literally just been left to fend for ourselves’

Mr McCool said the airline had told the passengers they could book accommodation and then claim the money back, but all hotels and Airbnb accommodation had already been booked up.

Passengers have been told they could book on other airlines, but he said “flights have skyrocketed” and any route to the UK involves several connections, with some taking up to 48 hours.

“I don’t believe they can’t do another flight,” Mr McCool said. “We have been stranded with no options. We are students so we have not got the kind of money to book another flight.

“We have literally just been left to fend for ourselves.”

Mr McCool said as a last resort they had to book their own flights to Tenerife, paying £200 for a 40-minute flight, and will still not be able to travel back to Edinburgh until Friday.

Asked if Ryanair had offered compensation, he said: “We have got no idea, we keep getting told different things.

“One minute we will get compensation for the lot if we save every one of our receipts, but we have also been told we will only get compensation for one night of accommodation and one day’s worth of food. It honestly does not make sense.”

What are Ryanair passengers’ rights?

Sky News has contacted Ryanair for comment.

The airline’s compensation policy states it is entitled to refuse compensation when it can prove the cancellation is “caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken by Ryanair”.

Among the examples it gives is “failure or delay of air traffic control facilities”.

The policy says passengers whose flights are cancelled or delayed by more than two hours are entitled to meals and refreshment vouchers and two telephone calls, telex or fax messages or e-mails. If the new time of departure is at least a day after the original then they are entitled to hotel accommodation when a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary and transport between the airport and place of accommodation.

By Monday afternoon 232 flights departing UK airports had been cancelled along with 271 arriving flights, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. It equated to about 8% of all expected departures and 9% of expected arrivals, Cirium added.

Airlines warn of ‘significant delays’

Major airlines such as Tui and BA have warned of “significant delays” amid changes to schedules.

Heathrow Airport – Britain’s busiest – said its services will “remain significantly disrupted” on Tuesday and urged passengers to contact their airline before travelling to the airport.

Gatwick said it plans to operate a normal schedule but advised passengers to “check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to the airport”.

Continue Reading

UK

Man, 76, arrested on suspicion of administering poison at summer camp after eight children taken to hospital

Published

on

By

Man, 76, arrested on suspicion of administering poison at summer camp after eight children taken to hospital

A 76-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of administering poison at a summer camp which led to eight children being taken to hospital, police said.

Police received reports of children feeling unwell at a summer camp in Canal Lane, Stathern, Leicestershire, on Monday.

Paramedics assessed eight children, who were taken to hospital as a precaution and have all now been discharged.

The suspect was arrested at the camp and remains in custody on suspicion of administering poison with intent to injure/aggrieve/annoy.

Detective Inspector Neil Holden said: “We understand the concern this incident will have caused to parents, guardians and the surrounding community.

“We are in contact with the parents and guardians of all children concerned.

“Please be reassured that we have several dedicated resources deployed and are working with partner agencies including children’s services to ensure full safeguarding is provided to the children involved.

More from UK

“We also remain at the scene to carry out enquiries into the circumstances of what has happened and to continue to provide advice and support in the area.

“This is a complex and sensitive investigation and we will continue to provide updates to both parents and guardians and the public as and when we can.”

The force said it has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over what it said was the “circumstances of the initial police response”.

Continue Reading

UK

‘No evidence’ malign activity caused Wednesday’s air traffic disruption, says transport secretary

Published

on

By

'No evidence' malign activity caused Wednesday's air traffic disruption, says transport secretary

There is no evidence that malign activity was responsible for yesterday’s outage of air traffic control systems, the transport secretary has said.

Heidi Alexander said she has spoken with the chief executive of National Air Traffic Service (NATS), Martin Rolfe, and added that what happened was an isolated incident.

NATS has apologised for the IT problems after thousands of passengers suffered extensive travel disruption during one of the busiest times of the year.

The technical glitch led to more than 150 flight cancellations, leaving airlines reacting furiously.

alexander
Image:
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander

Ms Alexander wrote on X: “I have spoken with NATS CEO Martin Rolfe who provided further detail on yesterday’s technical fault.

“This was an isolated event and there is no evidence of malign activity.

“I know that any disruption is frustrating for passengers.

“Flights are now resumed and I am grateful to airlines who are working hard to get people to where they need to be.

“I will continue to receive regular updates. Passengers should check with airlines before travelling.”

Read more: Flight delayed or cancelled? These are your rights

Officials said a “radar-related issue” caused the air traffic control failure.

A spokesperson for NATS said: “This was a radar-related issue which was resolved by quickly switching to the back-up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety.

“There is no evidence that this was cyber related.”

The problem occurred at NATS’ control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, and affected the vast majority of England and Wales.

Aviation analytics company Cirium said 84 departures and 71 arrivals were cancelled to or from UK airports up to 10pm on Wednesday, with several flights diverted to other European airports.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Travel expert Paul Charles: This is a major outage

There was limited disruption on Thursday, with a handful of British Airways flights cancelled because aircraft and crew were out of position.

Heathrow and Gatwick airports said they had resumed normal operations.

Affected passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation as the disruption was outside of airlines’ control, but they will be able to claim expenses for a reasonable amount of food and drink, a means to communicate and overnight accommodation if required.

Martin Rolfe in 2023. Pic: PA
Image:
Martin Rolfe in 2023. Pic: PA

Ryanair has called on Mr Rolfe to resign, claiming “no lessons have been learnt” since a similar systems outage in August 2023.

The airline’s chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of Nats.”

Continue Reading

UK

‘No lessons have been learned’: Airlines furious after another technical glitch cancels flights

Published

on

By

'No lessons have been learned': Airlines furious after another technical glitch cancels flights

Airlines have reacted furiously after a technical glitch in air traffic control systems led to more than 150 flight cancellations.

The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has apologised for the IT problems – and said systems were back up and running 20 minutes after the “radar-related issue” was detected at 4.05pm.

But with thousands of passengers suffering extensive travel disruption, during one of the busiest times of the year, airline executives have warned this isn’t good enough.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Departures resume after ATC problem

Ryanair’s chief operating officer Neal McMahon has called for NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign – and claimed Wednesday’s incident was “utterly unacceptable”.

He said: “It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe’s continued mismanagement of NATS.

“It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 NATS system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe’s incompetence.”

Mr McMahon was referring to a glitch that affected more than 700,000 passengers two years ago – and said that, if Mr Rolfe refuses to step down, the government should intervene.

“Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of NATS’ shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent NATS failures,” he added.

The Department for Transport says Ms Alexander does not have any direct control over NATS – and no powers over staffing decisions at the service.

Martin Rolfe in 2023. Pic: PA
Image:
Martin Rolfe in 2023. Pic: PA

EasyJet’s chief operating officer David Morgan added: “It’s extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel.

“While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from NATS what steps they are taking to ensure issues don’t continue.”

NATS is yet to comment on the calls for Mr Rolfe’s resignation – but has stressed that the glitch is not believed to be “cyber related”.

“This was a radar-related issue which was resolved by quickly switching to the back-up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety,” a spokesperson had said.

Departures at airports across the country have now resumed – but passengers are being urged to check with their airline before heading to terminals.

Read more from Sky News:
Ozzy Osbourne gets final tour of Birmingham
US Federal Reserve defies calls to cut interest rates

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Travel expert: This is a major outage

John Carr, from Stourbridge, was on his way from Heathrow to Norway to help arrange his brother’s wedding when he discovered his flight was cancelled after checking in.

“I’m pretty gutted,” he said. “We’ve got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we’re obviously flying to Norway. We’ve got the wedding rehearsal to do. It’s quite stressful.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for an urgent investigation and also referred to the “utterly unacceptable” disruption two years earlier.

“With thousands of families preparing to go on a well-earned break, this just isn’t good enough. The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.”

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Flights departing or arriving at a UK airport, or aircraft operated by a UK airline arriving in the EU, are subject to rules concerning delays or cancellations.

Airlines may have to provide compensation, although there are exemptions for “extraordinary circumstances”, according to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Continue Reading

Trending