Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet and more airlines demand action after further disruption

Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet and other airlines are demanding action after a second air traffic control failure in less than two weeks. The latest disruption hit flights across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England on Monday, with delays reported at airports including Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) said the problem at its Prestwick centre was separate from a previous software fault on September 8, which had led to more than 2,000 cancellations and widespread disruption. Nats said the issue is now fixed and it is working with airports and airlines to lift restrictions safely, while urging passengers to check flight status. Airlines used the incident to renew criticism of Nats’ reliability; Jet2’s Steve Heapy warned “too many incidents” and said they would “send another bill” to Nats. The UK Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said engineers had fixed the problem but some delays could continue during system reset.