30-8-2023 (LONDON) The recent technical fault that caused the worst disruption to UK air traffic control in nearly a decade may result in costs of approximately £100 million ($127 million) for carriers, estimated Willie Walsh, the Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Despite some continued disruptions to passenger flights due to the incident that occurred on Monday, more planes have been able to take off.
“At an industry level, we will likely see close to £100 million in additional costs that airlines have incurred as a result of this failure,” Walsh told the BBC.
Walsh, the former CEO of the International Airlines Group, which includes British Airways, added that it was unfair because the air traffic control system responsible for the failure does not bear any financial responsibility for the incident.
These costs include expenses associated with finding alternative flights for stranded passengers and providing overnight accommodation.
Walsh expressed skepticism about the explanation provided by the UK’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) for the breakdown.
“I find it staggering, I really do. This system should be designed to reject incorrect data, not to bring down the entire system,” he said.
“If that is true, it demonstrates a significant vulnerability that must have existed for some time, and I am astonished if that is the cause of this.”
The UK government has ordered a review of the incident, which it claims is not related to cybersecurity.
NATS CEO Martin Rolfe explained that an “unusual piece of data” had caused the widespread flight disruption.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, while over one-quarter of flights arriving and departing the UK were canceled on Monday, only about one percent were unable to take off on Wednesday.
This disruption comes as the global aviation sector experiences a strong recovery from the Covid-19 shutdown.
