The CAA published the final independent review, estimating that more than 700,000 passengers were affected and setting out sector-wide recommendations.
What happened?
On 28 August 2023, a technical failure affected the NATS flight planning system and forced restrictions on UK air traffic while flight plans were processed manually. The incident caused widespread delays and cancellations and became the subject of an independent Civil Aviation Authority review.
Scale of the disruption
The CAA’s final independent review estimated that more than 700,000 passengers were affected, including passengers whose flights were cancelled and those who experienced both long and shorter delays.
Passenger rights
The CAA considered disruption caused by the NATS technical issue, including direct knock-on effects, likely to amount to extraordinary circumstances. Fixed compensation was therefore unlikely in those circumstances, although applicable obligations around alternative flights, care and accommodation remained.
Fixed compensation generally unlikely
The wider incident may fall outside the airline’s control, but the reason recorded against an individual flight can differ. It can still be worth checking your specific journey.
Incident-wide guidance is not a final claim result. Your flight still needs to be assessed against its exact route, timings and cause.This incident is resolved and retained as historical context. The CAA considered disruption directly caused by the NATS technical issue and its direct knock-on effects likely to be extraordinary circumstances, while passengers still retained applicable care and rerouting rights.
Fixed compensation and immediate passenger rights are separate questions. Depending on the circumstances, care, rerouting or refund rights may still apply even when fixed compensation does not.
The CAA published the final independent review, estimating that more than 700,000 passengers were affected and setting out sector-wide recommendations.
The CAA said delays, cancellations and direct knock-on effects caused by the NATS issue were likely to be extraordinary circumstances.
NATS identified and remedied the technical issue and worked with airlines and airports to return operations to normal.