PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(16 July 2026)

Following a technical failure that NATS experienced in 2023, an independent review was commissioned by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The review made 34 recommendations for NATS, CAA, airlines, airports and government to respond on in order to learn lessons from this event and ensure that the UK aviation industry is well prepared to respond to incidents when they occur in the future. The CAA has recently confirmed that all recommendations from the review have either been completed or integrated into its ongoing regulatory oversight work.

Additionally, my department has recently introduced secondary legislation, which will make it easier for Air Navigation Service Providers to recruit existing Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) from Third Countries and the Military. This will increase resilience in the UK’s ATCO system and reduce the risk of delays.