The disruption to air traffic on 8 September was caused by a software defect in the National Airspace System flight data processing software, and not by incorrect actions by military or civil operators, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked what assessment had been made of the impact of military flight plan data entry on the NATS flight processing system that day.
Louise Sandher-Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary and Minister for the Armed Forces, said: “The Government has been clear that the disruption caused to passengers and industry was completely unacceptable. Following the incident, NATS was instructed to undertake a rapid investigation, and the Civil Aviation Authority has been commissioned to conduct an independent review of the findings and wider resilience arrangements.
“NATS’ investigation into the incident concluded that the disruption was caused by a software defect within the National Airspace System flight data processing software. NATS has stated that the incident was not caused by any incorrect actions by either military or civil operators.
“The Government will continue to work with NATS, the Civil Aviation Authority, airports, airlines and other stakeholders to ensure lessons are learned and that any necessary improvements are implemented to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s air traffic management systems.”
Obese-Jecty had asked specifically about the entry of military flight plan data into the NATS system, and the department ruled that out as a cause.
Where would we be without Ben? He gets through a lot of questions, even if the answers are often evasive chuff.