Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of National Air Traffic Control Services, has described himself as the most disliked person in the United Kingdom following a series of technical failures in September. Speaking at an aviation industry conference, Rolfe acknowledged the intense public scrutiny he faced after two separate system outages disrupted flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers within a two week period.
The disruption began on 8 September when a fault in Nats flight control systems halted operations. On that day, the service expected to manage approximately 8,000 flights, with 6,000 eventually taking to the sky. While many flights did depart, passengers faced significant delays. The airline industry has estimated that the outage alone cost them tens of millions of pounds. A government commissioned inquiry is currently examining the specific causes of that day's chaos.
The situation worsened on 21 September when a second glitch occurred at Nats control centre in Prestwick, Scotland. This incident resulted in the cancellation of more than 200 flights. Rolfe stated that the causes of both events were unprecedented, and while the issues have been fixed, he cautioned that he could not guarantee no further outages would ever occur.
Airlines, led by Ryanair, called for Rolfe's resignation after the incidents. Michael O'Leary, the chief of Ryanair, has repeatedly demanded that Rolfe step down, a stance he has held since flights were grounded during the August bank holiday in 2023. Rolfe said he was quite enjoying ignoring these repeated calls to quit, noting that O'Leary makes such demands to many leaders regularly.
Rolfe explained that he understood the personal responsibility and accountability that come with the role. He admitted to being unpopular during the crisis but noted that no formal poll had been conducted to verify his status as the least liked figure in the country. He added that if he was the cause of the disruption, he expected to face significant criticism.
During the Airlines 2026 conference in London, Rolfe addressed the ongoing investigations. He said that the specific software faults experienced in September would never recur, yet he remained realistic about the complexity of the technical systems. He emphasized that no one could credibly promise a complex system would never experience another fault.
The Civil Aviation Authority is currently reviewing the findings from Nats early report. The authority will present its report to Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, early in 2027. Alexander spoke at the same conference, expressing her anger at the system's failure to meet expectations. She described the situation as simply unacceptable.
While she said she would not jump the gun before the CAA findings were finalized, Alexander assured the audience that she would do whatever it takes to ensure lessons are learned. Nats had initially not believed the September software problem to be serious, a detail that has fueled the current inquiry. Ryanair was approached for comment regarding the developments.
