Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called for a temporary grounding of all UK flights to enable a full upgrade of the country’s aging air traffic management systems, aiming to prevent future disruptions similar to those experienced recently. Speaking amid ongoing operational failures, O’Leary said airlines would support a brief halt in flights if it allowed for the replacement of outdated technology that has caused repeated travel chaos.
The UK air traffic control operator, Nats, has attempted to modernize its flight management software since the 1990s, but mainly has applied incremental patches to its legacy systems instead of implementing comprehensive updates. The core platform, known as the National Airspace System, is rooted in technology developed in the United States during the 1950s and introduced in the UK in the 1970s.
Nats has endured four major system failures in the past three years, including two incidents this month alone. The most severe occurred on September 8, when over 2,000 flights were grounded, affecting the travel plans of more than 300,000 passengers. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the recent troubles, stating a commitment to understand the root causes behind the repeated failures.
O’Leary has called for the resignation or removal of Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe, who has been leading the government-owned body since 2015. When asked about the idea of grounding air traffic to facilitate a seamless transition to new systems, O'Leary said, “As long as that system works, yes. Please take one day, no problem. All airlines would do that.”
In response, Nats welcomed O’Leary’s comments, highlighting the complexity involved in safely upgrading the UK’s air traffic management network. The operator emphasized that modernizing the infrastructure would require difficult decisions, including temporary reductions in air traffic capacity, drawing parallels to how upgrades are managed in rail and road networks.
Separately, airlines have urged government ministers to explore legal changes allowing them to recoup financial losses resulting from Nats’ operational failures. Rafael Schvartzman, regional vice-president for Europe at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), noted in a recent letter to the transport secretary that the distribution of disruption-related costs within the aviation sector deserves further scrutiny. He pointed out that the ongoing Civil Aviation Bill before Parliament provides an opportunity to reassess whether the current regulatory framework equips the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) adequately to foster resilience and accountability, while safeguarding consumer interests.