Prestwick computer fault disrupts flights over Scotland

Travelers faced cancellations and long waits Monday after a computer connection failed at the Prestwick air traffic center. The facility manages Scottish arrivals and departures, along with many Europe–North America routes. Engineers restored service relatively quickly, but NATS said flight schedules could remain unsettled while carriers rebuilt their operations. Ryanair counted more than 140 delayed flights and said 25,000 customers were affected.

NATS said this breakdown was unrelated to its September 8 failure. That earlier incident canceled hundreds of services and stranded tens of thousands of people. A preliminary review traced it to a software timing error that damaged flight-planning data. Controllers switched to manual handling, reducing capacity, holding departures and eventually prompting diversions when airports lacked room for additional arrivals.

The Civil Aviation Authority classified Monday’s outage as an extraordinary event under UK-261, so carriers may reject compensation requests. Travelers can still challenge a refusal in court. Airlines remain responsible for food and refreshments after qualifying delays, while an overnight wait requires lodging. Which? noted that passengers may initially cover those expenses themselves and later seek reimbursement. Ryanair renewed its demand for NATS chief Martin Rolfe to leave, while Airlines UK—whose members include easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways—also criticized the disruption.