‘Software issue’ unrelated to previous outages caused recent ATC failure: NATS

A recent air traffic management system failure impacting over 2,000 flights originating from and destined for the UK was attributed to a “software issue” according to a preliminary report by Air Navigation Services (NATS). The investigation has determined that this specific incident is not linked to prior disruptions experienced within the air navigation services provider's systems. NATS explicitly ruled out any involvement of military intervention or cyber-attacks in their initial assessment. This latest malfunction occurred on September 26th, 2023, causing significant operational challenges across several airports. Further analysis is underway as NATS continues its detailed examination of the root cause.