Passengers faced widespread disruption on Monday as a technical failure at National Air Traffic Services (Nats) led to the cancellation and delay of about 200 flights across airports in Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland. The incident marked the second significant system malfunction in less than two weeks, exacerbating operational challenges and causing ripple effects at other UK airports.

The disruption stemmed from a connectivity problem at Nats’s Prestwick air traffic control centre in Ayrshire. The technical issue forced the cancellation of numerous flights and delays for hundreds more, including 140 Ryanair services. The repeated failures have intensified pressure on Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of Nats, who has been the target of growing calls to resign amid concerns over the organisation’s handling of air traffic management.

Earlier this month, a separate technical glitch occurred at the Nats southern site in Hampshire, resulting in roughly 2,000 flight cancellations and widespread travel chaos. Despite these setbacks, Rolfe has declined to step down. Ryanair renewed its demand for his resignation following the latest disruption.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, while stopping short of explicitly stating support for Rolfe, indicated that the government is conducting an ongoing review of the situation. A spokesperson for Burnham noted that no final decision had been made regarding confidence in the Nats leadership.

The consecutive failures have further highlighted vulnerabilities in the UK’s air traffic control infrastructure and raised questions about the organisation’s capability to manage the increased post-pandemic air traffic volume. Nats has acknowledged the recent disruptions as significant and pledged to work on resolving the connectivity issues to restore normal flight operations promptly.