Overview

• A radar fault at the Swanwick control centre on July 30 forced NATS to suspend all UK departures and limit London airspace traffic, grounding flights nationwide.
• By July 31, NATS had fully restored its systems and normal flight schedules had resumed across UK airports.
• Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander met with NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to press for a detailed explanation of the radar failure and measures to prevent future disruptions.
• NATS said it resolved the glitch by switching to its backup radar system and confirmed there was no evidence of malicious interference.
• Authorities are investigating the radar fault’s root cause, and airlines and passengers are managing a backlog of delays and cancellations.