An incorrectly filed flight plan by a French airline cannot be ruled out as the cause of the air traffic control meltdown, No 10 has said.
Speculation is mounting that an error converting a flight plan – which are filed in an international format – could have knocked out the system at the Hampshire headquarters of Nats, the British air traffic controller.
Downing Street confirmed that an investigation, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being carried out into the collapse, which caused a third of all flights to and from the UK to be cancelled on Monday.
The report will be submitted to Mark Harper, the transport secretary. A source said it would be expected “within days, not weeks” but needed to be comprehensive.
The prime minister’s spokesman would not rule out that the issue was caused by a French airline, as reported by The Times overnight.
He said: “I’m not going to pre-empt that. I’ve seen, obviously, various bits of speculation, but I’m not going to pre-empt the work that needs to be done.” But he added that experts had confirmed it was a “technical issue, not a cybersecurity incident”.
Flight plans are filed for every plane. They are uploaded in an International Civil Aviation Organisation standard format and then converted by each air navigation service provider – in the case of the UK, Nats. The suggestion is that an issue occurred during this process.
A call is being held between Harper, the airlines, airports and official bodies this afternoon as the government seeks assurance that passengers are being looked after.
Asked if officials would speak to counterparts across the English Channel, Sunak’s spokesman said “you would expect them to be speaking regularly” with other countries “but I’m not aware of any specific conversations with French counterparts”.
• Passengers face disruption all week after air traffic meltdown
UK air traffic control meltdown: disruption to last until Friday
45 minutes ago
1.40pm
Eurostar runs extra services between London and Paris
Eurostar has put on extra trains to help passengers affected by the air traffic control issues (Seren Hughes writes).
One extra train ran between London and Paris yesterday, while three added trains are running today.
The first of Tuesday’s additional trains ran at 6.01am from London to Paris. There will be two supplementary services this afternoon — one from London to Paris at 3.01pm and another from Paris to London at 8.36pm.
“So far Eurostar has helped nearly 1,000 new customers get home following their cancelled flights with that number currently growing,” the company said.
An update on its website urges passengers to avoid Eurostar stations if they do not have a ticket.
It reads: “Please continue to check our booking page for the latest availability. Our trains and stations are very busy today, please don’t come to the station unless you have a ticket to travel.”
1 hour ago
1.05pm
‘We spent £12,000 and we’ve been treated like muck’
Katrina Harrison and her family – including one-year-old twin grandchildren – spent the night at Leeds Bradford Airport after their flight to Antalya, Turkey, was cancelled on Monday afternoon.
Harrison, from Stockton-on-Tees, told the PA news agency: “We were given a bottle of water, a KitKat and a packet of crisps but no proper food. Apparently some people have got vouchers but we haven’t been given any.
“All the shops sold out of food and drink last night. We weren’t given a blanket, we’ve been absolutely freezing.
“There were no hotels to stay in, we couldn’t get the car out of the car park. We haven’t slept, we tried to sleep on the floor but couldn’t. Luckily the children could sleep in the pram.
“The holiday was supposed to be a family celebration of a few things. We’ve spent £12,000 on it and we’ve been treated like muck.
“We’re hoping to get on a flight tonight but if it doesn’t happen tonight we’ll have to go home. We can’t keep sitting here with the babies.”
1 hour ago
12.55pm
It’s your duty to get people home, Downing Street tells airlines
Airlines have a responsibility to “get customers back to where they should be”, Downing Street has said, as thousands of British holidaymakers remain stranded across Europe (Kieran Gair writes).
The prime minister’s spokesman said airlines should consider all “possible steps” to ensure passengers get home, which could include replacement transport and accommodation until a flight departs. Airlines should also provide stranded passengers with meals, he added.
“We rightly expect all airlines to be fulfilling their duties,” the spokesman said.
Carriers should also be “proactively” communicating with passengers about their rights, he said.
1 hour ago
12.50pm
Train company offers free travel to diverted flyers
LNER is offering free standard class travel to people whose flight back to the UK landed at a different airport
ALAMY
A train company is offering a second day of free travel for customers affected by the air traffic control failure (Seren Hughes writes).
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is offering free standard class travel for anyone whose flight back to the UK has resulted in them landing at a different airport or on a different date than originally planned.
Customers will be asked to present their airline ticket or boarding pass to make use of the offer, which was introduced yesterday and remains available today.
LNER serves key cities including London, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen.
2 hours ago
12.20pm
Stranded passengers dream of home
Passengers make a bed where they can, whether it’s the floor at Manchester airport ...
PAUL COUSANS/ZENPIX
... the chairs in Palma ...
JOAN LLADO/SPLASH NEWS
... behind a suitcase ...
IOANNIS ALEXOPOULOS/LONDON NEWS PICTURES
... or in a Burger King at Dublin airport
SASKO LAZAROV/ROLLINGNEWS.IE
2 hours ago
11.40am
Your travel rights explained
What rights do you have if you’re caught up in the chaos? Ben Clatworthy, Travel Correspondent, has the answers
2 hours ago
11.35am
No nappies, no clean undies and no flights until Sunday for Strictly winner’s family
Ore and Portia Oduba. She wrote on Instagram “I better sharpen up on my Greek as at this rate we are going to become citizens”
SOPA IMAGES LIMITED/ALAMY
Ore Oduba, the TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing champion, and his wife, Portia, are among thousands of holidaymakers who have been left “stranded” after their flights home from Greece were cancelled.
The couple and their children, Roman and Genie, were expecting to travel back to London Gatwick Airport on Monday.
Portia wrote on Instagram: “Currently ‘stranded’ in Greece with no flight home. No nappies and no clean knickers.
“Easyjet have cancelled all flights leaving till Sunday. But it’s ok. They’ve offered us a voucher for the next time we fly. Maybe we can fly home on that, magic carpet style.”
She added: “I better sharpen up on my Greek as at this rate we are going to become citizens.”
“The next available flight from where we’re staying back to London Gatwick isn’t until Sunday I believe so we’re trying to find an alternative flight, potentially trying to get to another island and fly with a different airline who’s flights are all still leaving.”
2 hours ago
11.30am
Have you been caught up in the chaos? Tell The Times about it
4 hours ago
10.05am
Hours-long delays possible, airport warns
Passengers scheduled to fly to and from the UK today could face delays of several hours or more, Heathrow airport has said (Kieran Gair writes).
The warning comes after an estimated 1,200 flights to and from the UK were cancelled yesterday by Nats, the national air traffic provider.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Schedules continue to be affected by yesterday’s restrictions on UK airspace.
“While the majority of passengers will still be able to travel, there will unfortunately be some disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations.
“It is important for all passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to Heathrow.
“Teams across the airport continue to do everything they can to minimise the impact on passengers and support those whose journeys have been affected.”
4 hours ago
9.45am
Third of UK flights were cancelled
The scale of disruption at UK airports yesterday has been revealed (Ben Clatworthy writes).
At least 785 flights were cancelled arriving into UK airports yesterday, according to new data from Cirium, the flight analytics company. A further 790 departures were cancelled.
The figures equate to about a third of the flying programme on what was due to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.
Heathrow had the most cancellations, followed by Gatwick and Manchester.
The figures lay bare the scale of the disruption airlines are facing today as they patch together their shattered schedules.
Most flights yesterday morning arrived as scheduled. Air traffic control systems were down for about five hours, with cancellations starting about lunchtime.
4 hours ago
9.35am
Holidaymakers stuck in storm-hit Mallorca
The violent storm that hit Mallorca brought strong winds and heavy rain
SOLARPIX
Holidaymakers in Mallorca are among the worst affected by the widespread flight delays and cancellations (Kieran Gair writes).
A combination of technical difficulties with air traffic control in the UK and a violent storm in the region saw hundreds of customers’ stranded overnight at Palma airport.
Heavy rains have swept across parts of the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, and Catalonia in north-eastern Spain. Several flights from Palma were delayed on Tuesday because of high winds and issues with air traffic control in the UK.
Julie, 45, from Kent, said that she waited with her children at the airport for 18 hours without accommodation or information on when their flight would take off.
The family were travelling back from their hotel, Playa de Muro, when the rain and hurricane-force winds began to hammer down on the area.
She told The Independent: “The storms were wild. There was flooding, branches falling and some structural damage on the accommodation.
“You could tell something was up as there were people strewn everywhere. Nevertheless, we were ushered to check in, which we did. There was no mention that our flight was delayed or cancelled at that point.”
She added: “Parents resorted to blowing up inflatables or using beach towels to make temporary beds. My favourite was the blow-up dinghy.”
• Air traffic control failure: what are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
5 hours ago
9.15am
British athletics team stuck in Budapest
Among the passengers stranded amid the travel chaos are members of the British team who have been competing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
A group of 30-40 athletes and staff were forced to return to their hotel in the Hungarian capital on Monday night, some of whom were told they will have to wait until Thursday for a flight home.
Members of the BBC’s commentary team for the championships — the three-times Olympic medal winner Steve Backley among them — have tried to get home from Budapest using the train. Backley has posted a series of videos on social media detailing what is becoming a nightmare journey.
5 hours ago
9.10am
Heart transplant patient misses appointment
Serena Hamilton was given a heart transplant just over a year ago
The cancellations meant Serena Hamilton, the recipient of a heart transplant, will miss her check-up appointment scheduled for today (Kieran Gair writes).
Hamilton, from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, said she would miss the appointment as the next available flight from Belfast International Airport would not get her into Newcastle upon Tyne in time.
She told BBC News NI: “I had a transplant 15 months ago and these appointments are very important … that’s a loss of an appointment not just for me, but someone else could have taken that appointment and I’m not going to be able to inform them because the clinic is closed today.”
Leah Washington, who lost her leg in the Alton Towers crash in 2015, had been in the Algarve for her hen do. The bride-to-be posted a photo on Instagram with the hen group still smiling, captioned with: ‘Cancelled flight to end the hen party’, followed by one crying emoji and a second laughing emoji.
5 hours ago
9.00am
Air traffic control crash not caused by hackers, says transport secretary
Ministers do not believe hackers are behind the issues with air traffic control (Ben Clatworthy writes).
Mark Harper, the transport secretary, apologised for the disruption and told Sky News: “Our technical experts have looked at it and are clear that it wasn’t a cybersecurity incident.”
Harper said there would be an independent review into what happened, with a report produced in the coming days.
He told GB News: “The system was fixed yesterday afternoon and things are getting back to normal but there’s obviously some disruption that’s going to continue today for people, and I know thousands of people have been impacted.
“Airlines will be stepping up, I hope, to their responsibilities to make sure that they get people back home, get them on an alternative flight and deal with food and drink and accommodation in the meantime.”
5 hours ago
8.55am
Airline crew are out of position
Passengers at UK airports are facing a second day of severe disruption after a systems failure at air traffic control. They told of arriving at airports last night for flights that, albeit delayed, were scheduled to operate only for them to be cancelled at the eleventh hour.
As the day wore on the biggest challenge for airlines was pilots and crew “going out of hours” — leaving them unable to work and, in many cases, out of position — having wasted precious hours earlier in the day when many planes were effectively grounded.
Airline crew are strictly regulated on the number of hours they can work in a single shift as well as over the course of a week, month and year. These rules are designed to limit the impact of fatigue on pilots and crew whose primary responsibility is safety.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXRpbWVzLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvdWstYWlyLXRyYWZmaWMtZmxpZ2h0LWRlbGF5cy1sYXRlc3QtbmV3cy1iYW5rLWhvbGlkYXktdHJhdmVsLTIwMjMtMHM1NmZxOHoy0gEA?oc=5
2023-08-29 12:40:00Z
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