Air traffic control chaos: how human error can lead a tiny glitch to spiral out of control
Several thousand passengers were stranded at airports, hotels and connection depots following the recent system-wide glitch of the UK air traffic control systems.
- Several thousand passengers were stranded at airports, hotels and connection depots following the recent system-wide glitch of the UK air traffic control systems.
- So what was the glitch and how did it create so much chaos?
- The problems appear to have been caused by unusual data in a flight plan submitted into the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) system by a French airline.
- But, in my experience as a researcher of management, managers further up the chain can often pay more attention to immediate threats.
- They may therefore underestimate the impact of accumulated errors, or may not have enough time to monitor them.
Bigger picture
- “This system should be designed to reject data that’s incorrect, not to collapse,” Walsh explained.
- Lundgren said a review of the situation should determine whether NATs is “really fit for purpose, not only on the systems but on the technology, on the staffing levels”.
- Another point to bear in mind: many senior managers – particularly at chief executive and managing director level – are not necessarily technicians.
- Unfortunately, as long as the glitch is not salient and the machine still works, people usually ignore it.
Next steps
- But managers and authorities should also offer replacement flights, coupons or other objects of comparable value as compensation.
- Managers have been improving communication between technicians and non-technicians and should be praised for this change in attitudes.
- The risk for the industry is that passengers affected by the problems may look to alternative forms of transport in the future.