Gatwick Airport experienced a wave of flight cancellations, delays, and diversions on Thursday, all occurring abruptly as a result of a shortage of air traffic controllers.
As of 10:00 PM BST, Gatwick Airport confirmed a total of 22 flight cancellations, while FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, reported numerous delays affecting both incoming and outgoing flights.
National Air Traffic Services (Nats) issued an apology for the staffing shortages, acknowledging the inconvenience caused.
Gatwick Airport expressed optimism for a return to normal flight operations on Friday.
This disruption comes shortly after a technical issue at Nats led to the cancellation of 2,000 flights across the UK just over two weeks ago.
In response to Thursday's delays and cancellations, EasyJet voiced its frustration, while Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, called for the resignation of Nats' CEO, Martin Rolfe.
O'Leary expressed his displeasure, stating, "It is unacceptable that more flights and hundreds of passengers are experiencing delays to and from Gatwick Airport due to Nats CEO Martin Rolfe's apparent failure to adequately staff UK ATC. Airlines are paying substantial sums to Nats every year and should not witness their passengers enduring avoidable delays due to UK ATC staff shortages."
One passenger, Laura Neary, aged 29, had her Gatwick to Dublin flight redirected to London Stansted and had to complete the journey by coach. She expressed uncertainty about returning to Dublin on the same day.
Paul Treloar, another traveler, reported on social media, "Four hours have passed, and our Samos flight has been diverted to Bournemouth. Can you provide any information on the likelihood of landing at Gatwick this evening?"
Mike Reed, who was stranded in Bari, Italy, mentioned being stuck on a hot plane for "up to an hour." Julia Lo Blue-Said, CEO of Advantage Travel Partnership, commented on the situation, deeming it "unacceptable" with "significant financial implications" for the industry and causing "disruption and chaos" for travelers.
In an official statement, Gatwick Airport recognized Nats as a world-class provider of air traffic services, acknowledging the dedicated efforts of the airport's air traffic controllers in keeping operations running. The statement also highlighted ongoing collaboration with Nats to enhance resilience in the airport's control tower and minimize future disruptions.
Nats extended its apologies to all affected travelers, emphasizing that airlines operating at London Gatwick were aware of the situation when Nats was appointed, but nevertheless, they sincerely apologize to both airlines and passengers inconvenienced by recent disruptions. Photo by Martin Roell from Berlin, Germany, Wikimedia commons.