Jet2 has completed a major repatriation operation involving thousands of passengers following last week’s technical disruption at the UK’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS), while calling for changes aimed at preventing similar incidents.
Around 7,200 Jet2 customers who were scheduled to return to the UK required additional assistance at the height of the disruption.
The airline deployed spare aircraft capacity and operated more than a dozen additional flights to bring passengers home from destinations including Greece, Turkey, Spain and Malta.
Jet2 also used third-party capacity and arranged ground transport in the UK where required.
More than a dozen additional Jet2 flights operated
The airline said teams across its flight operations and customer support divisions worked to restore schedules and assist passengers stranded by the disruption.
Where possible, overnight hotel accommodation was arranged for affected customers.
Some outbound Jet2 flights from the UK were also cancelled as a direct consequence of the air traffic control problems.
Passengers whose trips were cancelled will receive full refunds, according to the airline.
“Our teams went above and beyond to look after customers, get people home and recover our operation after last week’s latest NATS failure,” said Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.
“By arranging extra flying and deploying every available resource, we have been able to help thousands of customers return home as quickly as possible.”
Jet2 calls for action following NATS disruption
Following the recovery operation, Jet2 is calling for what it describes as urgent action to improve the resilience of the UK’s air traffic control infrastructure.
Heapy criticised the impact of the technical failure on passengers and airlines and called for further answers about the incident.
“This latest failure caused significant disruption to thousands of our customers through no fault of their own, and once again airlines, colleagues and customers were left to pick up the pieces because critical national infrastructure failed,” he said.
Jet2 also pointed to the UK government’s 49% ownership stake in NATS, arguing that authorities have a responsibility to address the reliability of the system.
The comments represent Jet2’s position following the disruption rather than findings about responsibility for the incident.
Airlines recover schedules after air traffic control problems
Air traffic control disruptions can have effects well beyond the period of the initial technical problem, particularly during busy travel periods.
Aircraft and crews can be left outside their planned rotations, while passengers may be stranded at destinations where airlines do not have spare aircraft immediately available.
In Jet2’s case, the airline said it used available aircraft, additional flights, third-party capacity and ground transportation as part of its recovery operation.
The carrier has now returned thousands of affected passengers to the UK but is pressing for further action and explanations following the latest disruption to NATS services.
