Air traffic control boss given ultimatum over travel chaos as organisation warned against ‘marking own homework’

You are about to be charged £0.00* *Your gift has been applied Thank you for subscribing! Air traffic control boss given ultimatum over travel chaos as organisation warned against ‘marking own homework’ Nats CEO Martin Rolfe collected £2.2million in bonuses over the past three years Don't Miss Most Read Latest Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has issued an ultimatum to the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) boss after travel chaos spread across the UK this week. CEO Martin Rolfe has come under intense pressure after a “technical issue” disrupted thousands of flights, leaving many grounded and Britons stranded in airports. Airlines, including Ryanair and Wizz, have called for Mr Rolfe’s resignation over his handling of the debacle, which affected some 330,000 passengers. Asked if she was seeking the Nats boss’s resignation on GB News, Ms Alexander said she did not think the travel chaos had been “unavoidable”. The Transport Secretary said she had summoned Mr Rolfe for a “full and frank” discussion on the fallout from the catastrophic technical fault. “I expressed the very significant anger and frustration that passengers understandably have, and that the airlines understandably have as well.” Ms Alexander said she had demanded a full report within seven days, due next Wednesday. She said she had made clear that a report on what happened must be on her desk within seven days, adding that it would be delivered next Wednesday. Britain's air traffic control boss has been given an ultimatum over the travel chaos that struck the UK this week |PA However, the Transport Secretary said she was not prepared to allow Nats to investigate itself. “I'm also not content for Nats to be marking their own homework,” she warned. Within 24 hours of the disruption beginning, Ms Alexander said she had also met with the chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Nats' independent regulator. She has asked the CAA to conduct a separate review into the incident, with its findings expected within six months. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Nats CEO Martin Rolfe said the catastrophic disruption to 330,000 passengers had been caused by a 'technical issue' |PA Ms Alexander said there were “tough questions” to be answered about planned IT upgrades, the resilience of Nats' systems, and whether adequate backup systems were in place. The Government is also facing calls to address wider questions around compensation and consumer redress for passengers affected by the disruption. “I'm determined to grip this, because the level of disruption that we saw was totally unacceptable. “Passengers undoubtedly deserve better,” she said. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has demanded answers, but warned Nats against 'marking their own homework' |GB NEWS The warning comes as the Nats CEO collected £2.2million in bonuses over the past three years despite overseeing repeated system failures. Mr Rolfe received bonuses and incentive payments spanning periods that included two other major air traffic control collapses, last year and in 2023. His pay is around 38 times the average UK salary of £39,000 and roughly 15 times that of Nats' best-paid air traffic controllers.