What Happened
NATS CEO Faces Calls To Resign Amid Ongoing Disruptions
UK low-cost carriers have reacted with fury to the latest air traffic control chaos, calling for the resignation of NATS CEO Martin Rolfe. The system failure, which originated in the ATC provider’s flight processing system, forced the cancellation of up to 1,000 flights and disrupted tens of thousands of passengers. Ryanair and Wizz Air were among the carriers severely impacted, with Ryanair’s COO Neal McMahon branding Rolfe an ‘overpaid failure’. The incident has drawn immediate intervention from Whitehall and civil aviation regulators, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander seeking assurances that lessons will be learned. This article was first reported by Aviation Business News.