Aviation pro says Gatwick could face 'weeks' of chaos due to 'constant struggle'
A veteran air traffic controller (ATC) has warned that issues at Gatwick Airport which caused chaos last night are likely to continue for a long time to come.
Thousands of passengers were stuck at the Sussex airport on Thursday evening after a National Air Traffic Systems (NATS) staff shortage meant planes had to be cancelled. Some customers were left to sleep on the terminal floor amid long delays.
Although the worst of the disruption is now over, former air traffic controller and now editor of Turning Left for Less Michele Robson believes the issues - which flared up to a lesser degree earlier this month as well - are far from resolved.
Air traffic control issues caused a number of cancellations at Gatwick on Thursday (Getty Images)She told the Mirror that staffing had been a "constant issue" in the airport's towers after NATS took control of the system overnight in 2022, when German firm ATN stopped running the system seven years into its decade long contract.
As it takes around 18 months to train ATC staff - and even longer at busy Gatwick which has just one runway - firms working in the semi-privatised system can struggle to get their rotas full enough. One pilot told the Mirror that staff were employed to "exact levels" with "no stretch to allow for staff sickness".
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While NATS will not say what was behind the absences on Thursday night, the impact was felt by many. The airport confirmed there had been 22 cancellations as of 10pm, while the website FlightRadar24 said hundreds of flights in and out of the airport were delayed.
It was reported that 60 Gatwick flights were cancelled on September 6, also due to staff shortages. The knock on impact of last night's issues were felt at Stansted Airport, where diverted flights caused "manic" queues.
Michele said the transfer of control back from ATN to NATS last year was bound to have caused issues which may still be being felt today.
"You imagine the disruption this caused. Members of staff get transferred and have to decide whether to leave. NATS inherited what they have now in terms of staff. And it takes a very long time to train a controller, especially with Gatwick and it's one runway.
"You can't take one off a shelf from Heathrow. The only thing they can do is fast track controllers from elsewhere, but that causes problems for somewhere else."
Michele said that the national air traffic control system - which is funded by fees from airlines - did not allow companies operating at specific airports to have any slack when it came to staffing.
While NATS does pay staff overtime, there are strict legal limits on how long they can work. At the end of a busy summer available hours are likely to have been used up, or staff may simply be on annual leave.
When asked whether there would be more disruption in the coming days, Michele said: "I don't think it will be this week, but there is a history of this over the last couple of months, so it will probably carry on for a few more weeks. At the end of October the winter schedule comes in which will get quieter.
She added: "Staffing is a constant struggle. People forget it is part privatised. It is not within their control to have as many controllers as they like. It is a very delicate balancing act of not spending too much money and having enough staff."
"There is a bulge of retirements coming as well. When I joined in the 1990s they recruited massively, now those people are coming to the point of retirement. During Covid they didn't train many people as there were no flights going."
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Earlier this year NATS said it has taken on 17% more controllers at Gatwick since the summer 2022, but added: “ATCOs train in our college for six months to get their initial qualification and then a further year at the relevant airport to gain the required validation.”
The spokesperson said it would "take some time" to increase staff levels in the tower to the target agreed with Gatwick when NATS took over the service. “Until it is complete, issues such as short notice sickness can occasionally lead to periods of air traffic flow restrictions at the airport to allow the ATCOs to safely manage flights,” they added at the time, Travel Gossip reported.
A NATS spokesperson said: "Flights at London Gatwick are operating normally this morning. Air traffic control restrictions were put in place yesterday afternoon due to short notice staff absence affecting our air traffic control team at Gatwick Airport. We worked closely with the airport and airlines to minimise disruption. We apologise very sincerely to everyone who has been inconvenienced.
"We are working closely with Gatwick Airport Ltd to build resilience in the airport’s control tower to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. New air traffic controllers have been recruited since last summer, increasing our presence by 17%, and others are due to start after completing their training, in line with the agreed plan when NATS took over the contract last October.
"London Gatwick’s senior management understands that we are working hard to keep the operation moving. Airlines operating at London Gatwick were aware of the situation when NATS was appointed but that does not dilute the apology we offer sincerely to them and their passengers who have been inconvenienced by recent disruption."
Gatwick Airport has been contacted for comment.
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