CAA probe into NATS system failure to focus on modernisation plans and lessons learned

UK regulator will provide initial report on the recent air traffic management outage to the government by the end of January.
A full investigation into the recent NATS air traffic management failure will focus on the UK provider’s plans to modernise its operating systems and the extent to which it has implemented recommendations from previous reviews.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is conducting the probe at the behest of the government, says it will provide its initial report to transport secretary Heidi Alexander by the end of January 2027, with a final report to be published by 8 March.

Alexander says she expects “answers and action” to result from the CAA’s review: “In recent weeks, passengers and airlines have been let down too many times, and I’m determined to get to the bottom of why.

“That’s why I’ve tasked the CAA with a thorough, independent review which asks what went wrong and also whether NATS is ready for the future, on investment, on its systems and on resilience.”

NATS earlier this month published its own preliminary report into the 8 September incident, which resulted in the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights. This found that a “software issue” unrelated to previous outages was to blame, and NATS said it had put mitigation measures in place while it tested and deployed a permanent fix.

The CAA says that its review will consider NATS’ findings, examine the impact of the disruption on consumers and identify “any additional actions needed to strengthen confidence in the resilience of the UK’s air traffic management system in the future”.

This will include a review of the air navigation service provider’s “plans for the renewal, replacement and modernisation of critical operational systems” and how business continuity plans could be improved for existing systems, says the CAA.

It will also look at how well NATS has implemented recommendations from previous reviews, as well as the effectiveness of regulatory oversight and lessons that could be learned from abroad.

Another incident which occurred less than two weeks after the 8 September disruption, this time affecting NATS’ Prestwick centre in Scotland, will also be examined by the review.

An “independent challenge panel” made up of members appointed by the transport secretary and the CAA will provide “robust expert challenge and advice”, adds the regulator. It will also seek inputs from NATS, airlines, airports and other stakeholders.

Airlines have reacted angrily to the two September NATS system failures, coming as they did after previous outages in August 2023 and last year.

Responding to the CAA’s outline of its review on 25 September, a trade body representing the UK’s airports said it would provide inputs “to ensure it produces a strong, deliverable plan to protect this critical piece of national infrastructure”.

Airports UK chief executive Karen Dee adds: “An increasing risk of disruption would result in the UK becoming less attractive as a place to visit, invest and trade with, impacting the whole economy at a time when we need to be delivering growth.”

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