How WFH engineer’s password error led to chaos at UK airports affecting 7 lakh passengers

A password-related issue of an engineer contributed to additional delays during a significant air traffic control system failure in the United Kingdom last year.
The disruption, occurring on August 28 last year, affected approximately 750,000 passengers when UK airports had to ground flights due to National Air Traffic Services (Nats) experiencing technical difficulties whilst processing flight information.
A subsequent investigation revealed that resolving the August 2023 air traffic control crisis was hampered by difficulties in authenticating a remote engineer’s password credentials. The technical malfunction resulted in widespread disruption, affecting over 700,000 travellers at British airports on August 28, reported the Mirror.
The CAA investigation determined that Nats had arranged for a Level 2 engineer to be available on call, rather than present at the facility, despite it being an exceptionally busy travel day. A less experienced Level 1 engineer, present at Nats’ Swanwick facility in Hampshire, initiated diagnostic procedures immediately after systems failed at 8.32am.
The report indicated that system architecture complications prevented quick verification of the Level 2 engineer’s login credentials. After exhausting remote assistance options, the engineer travelled to the control centre, arriving three hours and 15 minutes after the incident began, with the journey taking 90 minutes.
Investigators recommended that Nats should maintain Level 2 engineering presence on-site during peak periods, including summer. The report acknowledged that implementing necessary improvements following the August 28, 2023 system failure would require substantial investment, potentially reaching £100 million.
EasyJet’s Johan Lundgren criticised Nats severely for failing both airlines and passengers, emphasising the need to prevent similar incidents. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary called for Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to address Nats’ “hopeless service” and demanded the dismissal of Nats’ CEO Martin Rolfe.
The investigation determined that both primary and backup flight planning systems failed simultaneously after processing a Los Angeles to Paris (Orly) flight plan. The unprecedented failure stemmed from identical three-letter waypoints used for location identification.