Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has called on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to dismiss Martin Rolfe, the CEO of National Air Traffic Services (Nats), following recent flight disruption. Mr O’Leary made the demand in a new video, accusing Mr Rolfe of incompetence after a technical issue with Nats' air traffic control systems on 8 September.
The issue, which Nats stated affected its flight data system, led to approximately 2,163 flights being disrupted, with delays and cancellations continuing into 9 September at airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Manchester. Ryanair reported that over 65,000 of its passengers were affected, and it cancelled more than 250 flights.
Mr O’Leary criticised Nats for what he described as conflicting explanations for the fault, which he claimed was the third major technical issue in three years. He also questioned the existence of an effective backup system, a claim that could not be independently verified. Nats has confirmed a full investigation is underway and will provide a report to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority next week.