Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the long-term resilience of the flight data processing systems in NATS Holdings.

Safety must always be the primary consideration for NATS when making operational decisions about the air traffic services it provides within UK airspace. NATS is responsible for ensuring that its systems are safe and resilient, with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the independent regulator, providing regulatory oversight of NATS and the services it provides.

Following the technical incident on 8 September, NATS agreed to undertake a rapid review, reporting by 16 September. This will establish the cause of the incident, examine the actions taken by NATS in response and identify any immediate lessons or actions required.

The Transport Secretary has also asked the CAA to undertake a separate independent review of the incident, which will report within six months. This will provide independent scrutiny of the incident and its wider implications, including any lessons for the longer-term resilience of NATS’ systems.