Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told a Westminster committee that England’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) collapsed their own system and the backup during an automated flight plan system failure, causing chaos during England’s August Bank Holiday.
O’Leary claimed that NATS engineers were working from home to save on travel costs, suggesting they were ill-prepared for the situation.
NATS denied the allegations and blamed the system failure on an entry with identical names for two waypoints.
Airlines learned about the system failure from NATS’s counterparts in Europe, not directly from NATS.
Representatives from Ryanair and easyJet testified that the disruption resulted in additional costs under duty of care rules for the treatment of passengers.
O’Leary stated that despite contacting affected passengers, finding alternative accommodations for the cancellations was difficult due to high hotel occupancy and the extensive impact on UK airspace.
NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, defended the organization, explaining that the system shut itself down due to an unusual flight plan problem and that human intervention was necessary for safety.
Airline representatives called for NATS to repay their costs, but current regulations protect air traffic providers from financial liability.
NATS claimed there was no poor communication and that any operational disruptions are immediately communicated to Eurocontrol, responsible for informing airlines
