Jet2 has called on NATS and the UK Government to strengthen air traffic control resilience after a problem at NATS’ Prestwick Centre led to restrictions on traffic and delays for airlines and passengers.
The airline said the incident had prompted air traffic regulations to manage demand while NATS investigated the issue. Jet2 is seeking immediate measures to reduce the risk of further disruption, alongside greater accountability for the costs airlines incur.
Latest Incident Follows September 8 Technical Failure
The disruption comes shortly after NATS published a report into a separate technical issue on September 8. According to Jet2, that incident affected more than 2,000 flights across UK aviation.
Jet2 said its teams incurred significant costs while supporting passengers and restoring operations following the earlier failure. The airline intends to seek compensation from NATS.
It also indicated that it would pursue costs associated with the latest disruption.
Jet2 Chief Executive Criticises Repeated Problems
Steve Heapy, Jet2’s Chief Executive, said recurring incidents were undermining confidence in infrastructure that airlines depend on to operate their schedules.
“There have been too many incidents, too many reports and too many promises of lessons being learned,” he said. “What customers and airlines need now is action, accountability and proper resilience, and we need it urgently.”
Heapy said Jet2’s teams would continue helping affected passengers and working to recover services, but argued that airlines and their customers should not be left bearing the consequences of repeated air traffic control problems.
“Make no mistake, we are counting the cost of this disruption and will be sending another bill to NATS,” he added.
Airline Seeks Immediate Resilience Measures
Jet2 is asking NATS and the Government to explain what immediate steps are being taken to improve system reliability and prevent further failures.
The airline’s statement did not specify how many of its own flights were affected by the latest incident or the amount it intends to claim from NATS.
