Air traffic control issue ‘incredibly disappointing’ – Edinburgh Airport chief

The chief executive of Edinburgh Airport has said the air traffic control issue which caused flights disruption for a second time this month is “incredibly disappointing”.

Gordon Dewar said the Nats (National Air Traffic Services) problem showed that “something needs to change”.

Mr Dewar spoke to journalists as part of an unrelated announcement at Edinburgh Airport.

He told the Press Association: “We’re still in the middle of this, another Nats failure that’s come hot on the heels of the last one, which is incredibly disappointing and frustrating.”

Mr Dewar said there had been some delays and cancellations at the airport on Monday morning.

He continued: “The system is clearly not working – twice in the last few weeks.

“It’s national infrastructure that we’re all dependent upon.”

Mr Dewar said the system is not sufficiently robust and “something needs to change”.

He added: “Of course, when flights are cancelled, that means aircraft are in the wrong place for the next one.

“Potentially this could ripple through to tomorrow as well.

“So, we’re just working incredibly hard to look after people that are delayed or have to make other plans, make sure the operation can be the best it possibly can in the circumstances.

“And help the airlines get back on to the schedule – hopefully by later today.”

He said both Nats and the Government should ensure there are not any more “repeat errors”.

First Minister John Swinney also spoke about the Nats issue as he visited Edinburgh Airport on Monday.

He said: “It’s very regrettable that there’s been an issue with the air traffic control system today and that members of the public have experienced disruption as a result.

“I’m glad the issues are now resolved and that flights are able to take their normal course, but it demonstrates of all organisations, particularly the air traffic control system, having resilience, being able to withstand issues in the systems, so that people can rely on the services that are being provided.

“So, we’ll engage with the national air traffic control service to ensure that these issues are addressed and that the resilience is necessary for these systems is available at all times.”

Nats has said airports south of Manchester had been “broadly unaffected” on Monday, but that flights heading north and departing from Scottish airports had been experiencing some delays.

“Passengers should check with their airlines. This is unrelated to the issue two weeks ago. We apologise for the disruption,” Nats said.