• Air traffic control operations have returned to normal, but the aviation network is still recovering from yesterday’s widespread failure
• Around 1,300 flights were cancelled to and from UK airports, with Heathrow among the hardest hit
• NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe has ruled out a cyber attack and promised a full investigation into an unprecedented incident

The UK aviation system is facing a difficult second day of disruption despite the restoration of normal operations at air traffic control provider NATS.

The technical problem that triggered widespread flight disruption yesterday has been resolved, but the consequences are continuing to work through the network. Aircraft and crews were left in the wrong locations, passengers were stranded and airlines have had to rebuild schedules while demand remains high at the end of the summer travel period.

Martin Rolfe, chief executive of NATS, said the organisation’s immediate priority had been to restore the system safely before turning its attention to understanding what went wrong. Speaking on Wednesday morning, he described the incident as something NATS had not experienced before in its 50 years of operation, underlining the unusual nature of the failure.

Rolfe also ruled out a cyber attack as the cause and said there would be a “very, very thorough investigation” into the technical problem. He is due to discuss the incident with the Transport Secretary.

Asked whether he was considering his position, Rolfe said he always accepts full responsibility.

The scale of the disruption was considerable. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 estimated that around 1,300 flights to and from UK airports were cancelled yesterday. By 06:00 today, it was reporting a further 246 cancellations at Heathrow and 33 at Gatwick.

The impact has extended well beyond the airports directly affected by the original failure. Airlines have been forced to reposition aircraft, rearrange crews and accommodate passengers whose journeys were disrupted, creating the potential for further cancellations even though the underlying NATS system is now operating normally.

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