Latest news with #Heathrow
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
More than 120 flights disrupted by UK tech glitch
Scores of flights to and from UK airports were canceled Wednesday due to a technical glitch, according to the air traffic control service, prompting anger from airline chiefs. The number of aircraft in London's airspace was limited by the service, known as NATS, as a result of a technical issue which was quickly resolved. Airports including London's Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as Edinburgh, were affected. Heathrow is Europe's busiest air hub. There were 67 departures and 55 arrivals canceled as of 7:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), while a number of flights were also diverted, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. In 2023, NATS suffered the country's worst systems failure in almost 10 years, stranding thousands of passengers. Airline chiefs reacted angrily to the cancellations, which came at the peak of the UK summer holiday travel season. Ryanair COO Neal McMahon called for NATS's chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign over the failure. 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption,' said McMahon. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 NATS system outage.' EasyJet COO David Morgan said it was 'extremely disappointing' to again see a failure 'causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel.' 'While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from NATS what steps they are taking to ensure issues don't continue,' he added. A Department for Transport spokesperson said it was 'working closely' with NATS to understand the cause of the glitch and the 'implications for the resilience systems in place.' The 'technical issue' responsible for the disruption was at the service's control center in Swanwick in southwest England, it said. It first announced problems at around 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) and, in an update an hour later, said systems were fully operational and that departures had resumed at all airports.
Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Heathrow to announce third runway plans as PM unveils airport expansion
Sir Keir Starmer is poised to usher in the biggest expansion of Britain's airports for half a century as Heathrow prepares to unveil plans for a third runway. The prime minister is prepared to do 'whatever it takes' to ensure there are 'spades in the ground' by 2030 at Heathrow and on other major aviation projects. The government is also expected to formally approve plans for a second runway at Gatwick in coming weeks and is pressing ahead with the biggest ever overhaul of Britain's airspace to enable quicker flights and fewer delays. Ministers are also introducing legislation to curb the ability of campaigners to use judicial reviews to block infrastructure projects. Starmer said earlier this year that he would 'override the whims of nimbies'. Starmer is pressing for airport expansion in a bid to galvanise economic growth. 'He'll do whatever it takes on this,' a senior government source said. 'He's up for the fight. He views aviation as a key driver of economic growth.' By the end of Thursday, Heathrow will submit its proposals for a third runway, which is expected to cost between £45 billion and £60 billion. The plans are expected to include diverting a section of the M25 through a tunnel running underneath the new runway. The plans have proved hugely contentious in the past. They were first mooted as far back as 2003 but have been subject to years of delays, political opposition and legal challenges amid concerns over air and noise pollution. Ministers had set a deadline of July 31 for plans for expansion to be submitted. The Times understands at least two other schemes have been presented to the government from rival developers. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, will review the submissions before a consultation on the airports national policy statement, the framework under which permission for a new runway can be granted. Only then can any full planning application be submitted. In January, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced that the government wanted to push ahead with a third runway, arguing that sustainable aviation fuels were a 'game changer'. She said: 'The way that we fly has changed hugely in recent years. Engines have become so much more efficient, reducing carbon emissions, and also sustainable aviation fuel is changing the way that we fly. 'We want to see spades in the ground in this parliament. We have asked Heathrow to come forward with plans by this summer and then we want to grant that development consent order by the end of this parliament, so we can get the diggers in the ground to get this project up and running.' A third runway is expected to receive the backing of a majority of MPs if there is a vote in the Commons, although the issue is divisive. Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is strongly opposed and has suggested he is prepared to mount a legal challenge. Heathrow is expected to seek assurances from the government if it is to push ahead with the scheme and the investment required. Ministers are preparing to announce the creation of an Airspace Design Service, which will redraw the corridors planes use. It will be the biggest overhaul since their creation in the 1950s, when there were only about 200,000 flights a year, compared with 2.7 million last year. It will change the routes planes must take when flying in an attempt to increase efficiency and reduce air traffic control delays. Pilots routinely complain about the routing they must take when arriving at London-area airports, saying it adds unnecessary time to flights. A plane flying from Spain to Luton is often required to travel as far north as Cambridge only to turn around and head south for its approach. Similarly, flights from the US are regularly stacked east of London before turning back to land at Heathrow. The redesign of Britain's air space is integral to dealing with the additional traffic that would be caused by a third runway at Heathrow. The new runway would allow the west London airport to handle 276,000 new flights annually, taking the total to 756,000 a year, and 66 million more passengers. Starmer is also planning to curb the ability of environmental groups and other campaigners to bring legal challenges. The prime minister said earlier this year that the courts were being 'abused by pressure groups' to block vital projects. Under changes due to take effect later this year, campaign groups and local residents will be given a maximum of two chances to apply for judicial review of nationally significant projects, down from three. Challenges deemed by a High Court judge to be 'totally without merit' will be refused permission to appeal. The government is also expected to give its formal approval to bring Gatwick's second 'emergency' runway into regular use in coming weeks, provided there is a compromise on noise and public transport. Alexander said earlier this year she was 'minded to approve' the runway. She is expected to give it the final green light in the autumn.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Britain to consider rival plans for Heathrow Airport expansion
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - Britain's government will consider rival plans to expand the country's biggest airport Heathrow in the coming months, after the Arora Group confirmed on Thursday it was submitting a proposal for a new runway and terminal. Finance minister Rachel Reeves said in January she wanted Heathrow to build a new runway, decisively backing expansion after decades of indecision when governments weighed environmental concerns against the desire for growth. Heathrow Airport will submit its plans for expansion, which based on a 2020 plan are likely to include a full-length runway and the moving of a section of London's M25 motorway. The government will consider that against the Arora Group's plan. Located west of London, Heathrow is Europe's busiest hub and operates at full capacity. Its two runways compete with four each in Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt Airport, and six at Amsterdam's Schiphol. Arora Group, which owns hotels and land close to Heathrow, said its plan, named Heathrow West, is for a new terminal and a new 2,800 metre (3,062 yards) runway, which would be too short for some of the biggest aircraft to use. The plan offers a "cost-efficient solution," the Arora Group said, adding that it does not involve moving the M25. The development is expected to cost 25 billion pounds ($33.22 billion). Airlines, such as British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L), opens new tab, have long complained that Heathrow is one of the most expensive airports in the world in terms of the charges it pays, and they have been worried expansion will mean higher fees. "A shorter runway, suitable for today's aircraft is part of the solution. Avoiding the need to cross the M25 would remove complexity, reduce costs and help deliver better value for passengers," an IAG spokesperson said. ($1 = 0.7527 pounds)
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Airlines demand answers from air traffic control provider over technical glitch
Airlines have demanded answers from air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats after more than 100 flights were cancelled in the UK following a technical glitch in the ATC system. Thousands of passengers trying to fly both in and out of the country faced major disruption on Wednesday afternoon. UK airports saw 67 departures and 55 arrivals cancelled as of 7.30pm on Wednesday – with the highest number of cancellations at London's Heathrow Airport – while a number of flights were also diverted, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. EasyJet's chief operating officer David Morgan said: 'It's extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel. 'While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from Nats what steps they are taking to ensure issues don't continue.' Ryanair called for Nats' chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign in the wake of the fault, claiming 'no lessons have been learnt' since the August 2023 system outage. The airline's chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 Nats system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe's incompetence.' More than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports on August 28 2023 when Nats suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan. Mr McMahon continued: 'If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest Nats system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK transport minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats' shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.' The Department for Transport (DfT) noted that the Transport Secretary does not have any direct control over Nats and has no powers on staffing decisions. Nats has been contacted for comment. The Liberal Democrats called for a full investigation into the glitch. The party's leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. 'The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause.' A DfT spokesperson said the department is 'working closely' with Nats to understand the cause of the glitch and the 'implications for the resilience systems in place'. The 'technical issue' responsible for the disruption was at Nats' control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, according to the company. It first announced problems at around 4pm on Wednesday, and in an update an hour later said systems were fully operational and that departures had resumed at all airports. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with a group of friends to help set up his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in that his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old told the PA news agency at Heathrow Airport: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we're obviously flying to Norway. We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' He said they did not receive any warning of the cancellation before it happened. 'We had no idea,' Mr Carr told PA. 'There was nothing that the airport had said out on the speaker phones, or anything like that. There was no warning from them or the airline that said it was cancelled. It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation. 'We have put our cars in special car compounds for the next six days.' Baptiste, who did not want to give his full name, said he was told his flight had been cancelled while on the tarmac. He is travelling home to France with his family and told PA: 'We have no information. When we arrived, we were stopped on the tarmac and in the plane. We learned that our flight had been cancelled. 'We're going to Geneva in Switzerland, so we're trying to find a flight for tomorrow and a hotel.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Airlines demand answers from air traffic control provider over technical glitch
Airlines have demanded answers from air traffic control (ATC) provider Nats after more than 100 flights were cancelled in the UK following a technical glitch in the ATC system. Thousands of passengers trying to fly both in and out of the country faced major disruption on Wednesday afternoon. UK airports saw 67 departures and 55 arrivals cancelled as of 7.30pm on Wednesday – with the highest number of cancellations at London's Heathrow Airport – while a number of flights were also diverted, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. EasyJet's chief operating officer David Morgan said: 'It's extremely disappointing to see an ATC failure once again causing disruption to our customers at this busy and important time of year for travel. 'While our priority today is supporting our customers, we will want to understand from Nats what steps they are taking to ensure issues don't continue.' Ryanair called for Nats' chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign in the wake of the fault, claiming 'no lessons have been learnt' since the August 2023 system outage. The airline's chief operating officer Neal McMahon said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the August 2023 Nats system outage, and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe's incompetence.' More than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption when flights were grounded at UK airports on August 28 2023 when Nats suffered a technical glitch while processing a flight plan. Mr McMahon continued: 'If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest Nats system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK transport minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats' shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.' The Department for Transport (DfT) noted that the Transport Secretary does not have any direct control over Nats and has no powers on staffing decisions. Nats has been contacted for comment. The Liberal Democrats called for a full investigation into the glitch. The party's leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. 'The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause.' A DfT spokesperson said the department is 'working closely' with Nats to understand the cause of the glitch and the 'implications for the resilience systems in place'. The 'technical issue' responsible for the disruption was at Nats' control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire, according to the company. It first announced problems at around 4pm on Wednesday, and in an update an hour later said systems were fully operational and that departures had resumed at all airports. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with a group of friends to help set up his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in that his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old told the PA news agency at Heathrow Airport: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we're obviously flying to Norway. We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' He said they did not receive any warning of the cancellation before it happened. 'We had no idea,' Mr Carr told PA. 'There was nothing that the airport had said out on the speaker phones, or anything like that. There was no warning from them or the airline that said it was cancelled. It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation. 'We have put our cars in special car compounds for the next six days.' Baptiste, who did not want to give his full name, said he was told his flight had been cancelled while on the tarmac. He is travelling home to France with his family and told PA: 'We have no information. When we arrived, we were stopped on the tarmac and in the plane. We learned that our flight had been cancelled. 'We're going to Geneva in Switzerland, so we're trying to find a flight for tomorrow and a hotel.'
