Martin Rolfe has, as they say, got one job. As head of National Air Traffic Services (NATS), he’s responsible for making sure an average of 8,000 scheduled flights take off and land safely at 15 of Britain’s airports every day.

Some liken Rolfe’s role to running a sort of motorway in the sky. So long as staff turn up to work and computers don’t crash, travellers and freight shipments generally reach their destination on time and few people give NATS a second thought.

For performing this generally dull role, Rolfe is paid very handsomely indeed. 

Last year, he trousered £1.418million in pay and bonuses; the year before £1.493million. In his past five years in the job, which he’s held since 2015, the 54-year-old aerospace engineer has earned a whopping £6.187million.

To put that in context, Rolfe’s Dutch counterpart, Joost Meijs, is paid a mere €262,000 (£225,000) a year. 

Given this huge – some might say grotesque – disparity in remuneration, you might expect him to run Britain’s skies with ruthless efficiency. Yet the exact opposite appears to be true.

In the first half of 2025, for example, UK air traffic control was responsible for 2,770 flight delays. For the Netherlands, the figure was just 284. 

Ryanair, which dug out those figures a few months back, duly described Rolfe’s pay as ‘a vastly excessive package for a glorified bureaucrat who doesn’t do a particularly good job’.

A ‘technical issue’ brought chaos this week with up to 2,000 flights cancelled and a quarter of a million passengers stranded

This week’s events will add grist to that mill. On Tuesday, a ‘technical issue’ involving NATS’ flight processing system – a computer crash, in other words – brought chaos to the nation’s airports, with nearly 2,000 flights cancelled by Wednesday night and a quarter of a million passengers stranded. 

Rolling news bulletins were filled with images of passengers sleeping on floors or confined like cattle on runway-bound planes for hours on end. Various airports resembled homeless encampments.

It wasn’t the first, or even second time in recent years that Rolfe has overseen this kind of disaster. 

Another computer crash, in July last year, saw 150 flights cancelled, while a third, during the August Bank Holiday of 2023, saw Britain’s entire airspace closed on one of the busiest weekends of the year, affecting 700,000 passengers and costing the industry at least £65million.

Each time, Rolfe has sought to characterise the incident as a freak occurrence, claiming lessons will be learnt (he described 2023s meltdown as a ‘one in 15million’ event). 

Yet his organisation’s technology keeps breaking. Little wonder that patience in the industry, which must count the cost of NATS failures, is now paper thin.

British Airways called this week’s events ‘incredibly frustrating’. Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan called for Rolfe to resign, dubbing his organisation ‘not fit for purpose’. 

She said: ‘In any industry, when you have had three failures you need to consider three strikes and you are out.’

Ryanair accused Rolfe of an ‘abhorrent failure’ to learn lessons of previous crises. 

Its chief operations officer Neal McMahon said of NATS: ‘They have a crap system and they don’t invest in it. Instead they pay big bonuses to management and they pay huge dividends to the shareholders.’

Rolfe did at least face some music, telling interviewers he ‘understands the frustration’ of travellers and will ‘take accountability and responsibility’. 

He also met Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander yesterday, and according to Downing Street retains the confidence of the Government.

Yet whether that position is tenable remains to be seen. Rolfe has been in his job for more than a decade. 

Stranded passengers were forced to sleep on airport floors during the disruption caused by the NATS system failure

He cannot exactly blame NATS’ creaking infrastructure or accident-prone tech platform on his predecessor. And his status as one of Britain’s best-paid quangocrats adds to his vulnerability.

That £1.4million package, made up of a salary of £650,000 plus a pension and bonus, is almost ten times what the Prime Minister commands, and far more than any civil servant is able to justify. 

Yet since 49 per cent of shares in NATS are publicly owned, he is effectively half a state employee.

Rolfe’s pay, which allows him to live in splendour with his firefighter wife Anna in a mansion in Hampshire that boasts a swimming pool and tennis court, would of course be easier to justify were his organisation a model of ruthless efficiency. But evidence suggests that is not the position.

NATS employs more than 5,000 staff at a cost of £585million a year, meaning its average salary and pension package is a whopping £115,000. Even so, it has for years failed to employ sufficient numbers of air traffic controllers.

In 2024, Ryanair suffered a series of cancellations due to NATS’ ‘staff shortages’, prompting boss Michael O’Leary to say: ‘They bunk off. Through the summer on Saturday mornings there’s always a reduction in NATS capacity. 

‘And when there’s a big English soccer match there’s a big reduction in capacity the morning after.’

Thanks to the fees it levies on every ticket sold, which equates to just over £2 a passenger, NATS makes a hefty profit, of £165.9million last year, down from £174.6million the year before.

Yet rather than investing this in making its computer systems fit for purpose, it has paid huge sums in dividends to shareholders, including Government and airlines. 

Last year it paid £70million; the year before, £170million. From 2010 to 2020, £550million went out the door.

‘The main problem is its core computer in Southampton is decades old: part of it still operates on Cobol, one of the original coding languages,’ says aviation security expert Julian Bray. ‘They bolt on smart new front-end systems, but what they need to do is go back to square one and replace it.

‘But NATS has a very entrenched board that doesn’t want to spend the cash despite this being a major national strategic asset. If it fails it can devastate the economy.’

Employment practices are famously woke, with Rolfe taking great pride in a so-called ‘agile working’ regime that allows many highly paid staff to work remotely.

This exacerbated 2023s disaster, since the on-call engineer supposed to sort out the system when it crashed, was working at home.

He struggled to log in remotely, and had to drive to the office, which took an astonishing 90 minutes. 

He then tried a ‘full system re-start,’ which didn’t work. It wasn’t until four hours had passed that someone thought to phone the system’s German manufacturer, who sorted it all out.

An official report into the incident sparked wide criticism, with O’Leary saying engineers were ‘sat watching Football Focus in their jim-jams’. 

Yet three years on, NATS continues to endorse home working ‘where possible’.

As hundreds of thousands of passengers endured the chaos that has cost the sector, and Britain’s economy, tens of millions of pounds, the NATS website yesterday declared to potential recruits the virtues of ‘agile working’.

To put it another way, Rolfe has failed to learn from his mistakes, and travellers are paying the price. 

Could it be long before Britain’s best-paid quangocrat becomes a former quangocrat?

Primark is set to launch home delivery in the UK in a bid to bolster the retailer’s online offering.

The fashion retailer’s owner, Associated British Foods (ABF), which also runs large food, sugar and agriculture operations, did not specify when home delivery would start but said it would come “in the future” for England, Scotland and Wales.

The company has acquired a highly automated warehouse in Sheffield from the Debenhams Group in a £90 million deal to support the plans. It is not expected to have an impact on jobs.

Over the years, Primark has grown its “click and collect” offering for people to shop and make purchases online, then collect in stores. However, it has long resisted a move into home delivery, saying it did not make economic sense with its low price points.

The retailer recently unveiled price cuts on hundreds of fashion items, which the company said had led to positive sales momentum particularly for nightwear, leisure and fitness ranges.

ABF is preparing to separate Primark from its food business and list it on the FTSE 100 as a standalone entity by the end of 2027.

Dan Coatsworth, head of markets for AJ Bell, said Primark offering home delivery was the “biggest UK retail news of the year”.

“Having full online transactional capabilities is something the company has always shied away from,” he said.

“It has always argued that low price-point items are uneconomical to send, particularly if someone is only ordering a pair of socks or a T-shirt costing a pound or two.

“It stubbornly retained this view for longer than anyone expected, before easing back by launching a click and collect service.

“We’re now primed for the full home delivery experience.

“While physical stores remain relevant, online shopping is well established and Primark clearly had no choice but to adapt to the modern retail world.”

In a trading update to investors, ABF said Primark sales are expected to have dipped by 2.6 per cent over the past financial year, which ends on Saturday, when compared like-for-like with the year before.

The decline has been driven by weaker sales in continental Europe, whereas sales in the UK are estimated to have edged up by 0.6 per cent year-on-year.

Primark sales started the summer season strongly but were then impacted by the prolonged hot weather, which delayed the transition to buying autumn clothing ranges, according to the business. Trading has improved in the more recent weeks that temperatures have cooled, it said.

ABF’s chief executive George Weston said: “Our priority focus areas, the UK and womenswear, continued to outperform our other markets and categories.

“Primark has made significant progress in building its digital capabilities and will continue this through both growing click & collect and by offering home delivery in Great Britain in the future.

“There is now an opportunity for incremental and profitable growth through this channel.”

ABF owns a roster of brands in the grocery sector like Kingsmill, Twinings, Jordans, Patak’s and, following a recent acquisition, Hovis.

It warned that adjusted operating profits for the division are expected to be slightly lower than previous expectations for the full year, partly because of Twining sales being dampened by the heatwaves reducing demand for hot tea.

It also has a sugar business which has been impacted by higher gas costs linked to the Middle East conflict and the prolonged spell of hot and dry weather affecting the UK beet crop.

The company is expecting to report an adjusted operating loss for the full year for the division towards the “higher end” of its guidance range of £25 million to £60 million.

Shares in ABF were down by around 9 per cent in early trading on Thursday.

Corrie fans think they know what Ross Wilkes will do next after he was involved in an unexpected altercation with Kit Green

Coronation Street fans think they have worked out what Ross Wilkes will do next after he was involved in an unexpected altercation with Kit Green.

Those who follow the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, will recall that newcomer Ross arrived in Weatherfield back in July and he quickly put a wedge between Cassie Plummer and her son, Tyrone Dobbs, as he was revealed to be his long-lost father.

The big reveal came after Tyrone’s children, Hope and Ruby, surprised him with a birthday present: they found his father through a DNA database. But it came as an uncomfortable shock to Cassie, as she had earlier flirted and made a pass at Ross, not knowing who he was.

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Tyrone decided to get to know his dad, who was also quick to strike up a romance with Tracy Barlow, but it didn’t go down well with Cassie, who tried to expose Ross for who he really is.

When the Dobbs’ organised a little party for the newcomer, Cassie watched on in horror until she eventually snapped and revealed that Ross paid her for sex when she was just 15, resulting in her falling pregnant with Tyrone.

While horrified, Tyrone and Tracy didn’t want Ross out of their lives, as he agreed to apologise to Cassie before agreeing to a clean slate. However, he later threatened her life if she were to get in between him and developing a relationship with his son.

Determined to see the back of Ross, Cassie was seen spiking his drink with some of Tyrone’s painkillers, only for him to spot her, swap the drinks with Tracy, who collapsed and ended up in hospital following a drug overdose. As the truth came out, Cassie pleaded she had been set up, claiming she had only used a couple of the tablets so that Ross would fail a drug test at his new prison job.

Tyrone refused to make amends with her, and with Steve also pushing her away, Cassie announced she had landed a job on a cruise ship and would be leaving Weatherfield. But her exit ended up becoming a mystery.

After an emotional farewell to her family, Cassie headed to the precinct where she planned to meet Steve McDoanld, but Ross got there first. He told Cassie that he’d give her a lift to the train station before confessing that he framed her over Tracy’s collapse. Cassie threatened to go to the police, but Ross wouldn’t let her out of the car, and as he took off, it was the last time Corrie viewers saw her.

Ross has since carried on as though nothing had happened, but was seen in the middle of some drama in Wednesday’s (September 9) episode of Corrie. As viewers saw, Kit accidentally collides with Ross in the Rovers, causing him to spill his drinks.

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When Kit clutched his chest in pain, Ross accused him of overreacting, unaware that the detective was recently diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. It caused Kit to lose his temper and punch him straight in the face. Fuming, Ross said he would be reporting Kit, as Bethany Platt dragged him out.

Later, Todd Grimshaw, who knows about Kit’s recent diagnosis, headed to see Ross and try and smooth things over for him, Ross said he wouldn’t press charges, but would accept a few beers as an apology.

But Corrie fans are convinced Ross will let this one go. @Wee_Westie29 said: “Ross seemed interested in Kit and Sarah’s history. What’s he up too? #Corrie #CoronationStreet @itvcorrie.” @Audz32129841 commented: “Why doing get the feeling Ross is going to try and blackmail Kit #Corrie.” @Winis_World added: “Ross is gonna make sure Sarah’s life is hell inside, because of Kit. Sigh #Corrie.”

The abuse follows an incident in Portsmouth where two crew members were named and pictured online by protesters.

They were labelled “collaborators” and “traitors” for helping to rescue asylum seekers in the English Channel.

RNLI chief executive condemns online abuse

One individual described as a “Nationalist” claimed that one address was circulating in Telegram groups.

The post quickly gained more than 19,000 likes and was viewed over half a million times in just a few hours, attracting a flood of hostile comments.

RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes strongly condemned the targeting of volunteers and said the organisation would take action to protect its people.

Mr Sparkes said: “The RNLI’s people represent the very best in our society, they selflessly give up their time to keep others safe.

“Yet they and their families are being threatened by those who would hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard.

“Their action, in contrast, is wholly unacceptable in a civilised society.

“We will take whatever steps we can, to care for and protect our people and their families.”

The chief executive stressed that the RNLI is a neutral, humanitarian organisation with a single focus—saving lives at sea.

He said: “The RNLI is an apolitical organisation; we are completely independent of government, powered by remarkable, kind people and fuelled by the incredible generosity of the public.

“For over two hundred years, in all weathers, in peace and war, the RNLI and our amazing volunteers and staff have selflessly dedicated themselves to rescuing people they have never met before, without judgment, fear or favour.”

Mr Sparkes also addressed recent misinformation about the charity’s role in migrant rescues.

He said: “Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI—our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel.

“Sadly, as a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse.”

In 2025, RNLI lifeboats were tasked by the coastguard and launched 9,058 times across the UK, with 109 of those launches—representing 1.2 per cent of the total—for people in distress in the Channel.

Mr Sparkes emphasised that their work is about saving lives, not politics.

He said: “Our mission, and our tasking is to rescue those women, children and men in danger of drowning.

“Anyone rescued from a small boat by the RNLI is immediately handed over to the UK’s immigration authorities.

“Illegal immigration is a political issue; the RNLI exists to save lives at sea.”

He also refuted rumours circulating online.

Mr Sparkes said: “I have seen ludicrous rumours that we house asylum seekers on RNLI premises, or that there are RNLI missions to move migrants to secret locations.

“These rumours are completely baseless and untrue.”

Anti-hate groups have also condemned the targeting of RNLI volunteers.

Nick Lowles, chief executive of Hope not Hate, said: “He has literally put a target on their backs.

“When the far right say they are peaceful, just remember this post.”

Mr Lowles praised the dedication of RNLI crews and said: “work tirelessly and at great personal risk to save others.”

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Mr Sparkes urged the public to support the charity and its volunteers.

He said: “Stand by them, not against them and their families.

“I am extremely proud of and grateful for their vital lifesaving work that meant 389 families welcomed their loved one homes safely last year.”

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The holiday park is a big family favourite, and it’s close to Cambridge residents. The Essex park in Five Lakes is a little over an hour on the road from Cambridge, while the Norfolk Hopton-on-Sea park is two hours from the city

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The best holiday park in the UK has been crowned, and it’s an all-inclusive family favourite.

When it comes to holiday parks, there are plenty to choose from in Cambridgeshire. Hoseasons, Best of British and Fields End all have sites in the county. However, if you want a slice of the best of the best, then you’ll have to head over the border into Essex or Norfolk.

Potters Resort has been named the country’s favourite holiday park, and happily, its two locations are close to Cambridgeshire. The Essex park in Five Lakes is a little over an hour on the road from Cambridge, while the Norfolk Hopton-on-Sea park is two hours from the city.

By all accounts, the journey is well worth it.

“After opening its doors in the 1920s, family-run Potters claims to be the first-ever holiday park, and its all-inclusive model still sets it apart. The nightly rate at its two parks, in Essex and Norfolk, may be higher than rivals, but you stay in suites or bungalow-style accommodation (there isn’t a caravan in sight) and all food and drink (which is excellent) is thrown in. It was the only park to clinch the full five stars for its entertainment and activities (also included), which range from birdwatching to go-karting,” wrote Which? of Potters after readers awarded it five stars for customer service, activities, and food and drink.

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“Guests loved that they could soak in the spa and play all the rounds of pitch ‘n’ putt without worrying about their final bill spiralling out of control. ‘Great entertainment, all staff helpful and polite, good food and plenty of it,’ one happy customer remarked. Forget everything you think you know about holiday parks, as Potters’ attentive service and first-class facilities will wow you, with no sneaky extra charges later on.”

At £88 per person per night, Potters is a little more expensive than the average holiday park, but guests clearly don’t feel hard done by, handing the park 4/5 for value for money. That may be because the park is the only one in Britain to offer all-inclusive, providing guests with four meals a day, as well as an ample selection of included drinks such as white wines, reds, beers and G&Ts.

Just like the kind of all-inclusive break you might associate with going abroad, Potters has plenty of activities throughout the day to keep young and old entertained. You can get your groove on at its silent disco, burn some rubber on the rally karts, immerse yourself in virtual reality, and bob around on the water at Five Lakes. Morning Pilates, yoga, birdwatching, and Nordic walking are also included for the more wellness-minded guests.

Another big draw is the entertainment. Each evening, its Musical Icons hits the stage, offering a celebration of legendary musical artists, from the golden age of Motown and Carole King’s much-loved songbook to ABBA, the Bee Gees and an unforgettable Bohemian Rhapsody finale.

The Mirror’s Mikey Smith visited Potters with his family and had a fantastic time.

“Imagine the good old British ‘holiday camp’ atmosphere – family fun by the sea, with nightly entertainment and everything you need on-site – but brought bang up to date, with comfortable rooms and high quality amenities. And then imagine it borrowed a few ideas from luxury cruise ships. Then you’re getting somewhere near what Potters is,” Mikey wrote.

“For many, the phrase ‘all-inclusive resort’ conjures images of lukewarm buffets, piled high with chips and pizza slices, perhaps the occasional chicken nugget and long benches of weird-looking salad. Not so at Potters. Each lunchtime and evening menu offers three or four restaurant-quality starter and main options. During my stay I had a buttery, flaky Sea Bass fillet, some deliciously crispy deep fried Halloumi and a perfectly cooked chicken breast with mushroom and thyme sauce.

“None of them would trouble a Michelin star – but they’d give any of the foodie pubs near me a solid run for their money. And that’s before we come to the carvery, which is served every evening with a different roast meat.”

You can read his full review here.

Mike Scott, managing director of Potters, said: “To be named the UK’s Best Holiday Parks & Resorts by Which? readers is a fantastic achievement. To have topped the list in three consecutive surveys since 2022 is something we’re immensely proud of, especially among so many well-known UK break providers. Recognition from Which? means so much because it reflects the honest opinions and experiences of guests. It tells people what it’s really like to stay with us and makes this achievement all the more special.

“As a family-owned business, we can’t compete with the household names on marketing budgets, and we don’t try to. Instead, we focus on giving every guest an exceptional experience. Our breaks are fully inclusive, so we’re not constantly trying to upsell or charge guests for every little extra. It means our guests can simply relax and have fun, while our team can focus entirely on looking after them and making their stay memorable.

“This recognition reinforces what we’ve always believed: Potters Resorts offers the best breaks in the UK. And, of course, a huge thank you must go to our amazing team and our lovely guests, who together have made Potters such a special place.”

The UK’s best and worst holiday parks

(Name of resort, overall customer score)

1. Potters Resorts – 83%
2. Hoburne Holidays – 81%
3. Darwin Escapes – 80%
4. Landal Parks – 80%
5. Waterside Holiday Group – 80%
6. Shorefield Holidays – 76%
7. Away Resorts – 75%
8. Bluestone Wales – 75%
9. Park Leisure UK – 75%
10. Highland Holidays – 74%
11. Lyons Holiday Parks – 74%
12. Largo Leisure – 73%
13. Park Holidays UK – 73%
14. Warner Coastal Villages – 73%
15. Forest Holidays – 72%
16. John Fowler Holidays – 72%
17. Center Parcs – 69%
18. Haven Holidays – 68%
19. Parkdean Resorts – 68%
20. Butlin’s – 63%
21. Pontins – 61%

Based on a survey of 2,221 Which? Connect panel members and general public conducted in February and March 2026.

A Tameside road has been closed off and people are being urged to avoid the area after a house fire broke out overnight.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service says it has been at the scene of a house fire on Park Road, in Dukinfield, since the early hours of the morning.

A cordon is in place along Park Road this morning as crews continue to work at the scene.

Further updates will be posted in this blog when they are available.

Dozens more flights in and out of Britain have been cancelled today as chaos caused by major technical issues with air traffic control systems entered a third day.

A total of 51 services across UK airports have already been axed today. London Heathrow was worst affected with 28 flights cancelled, including 21 arrivals and seven departures.

Some 11 further flights were cancelled at Gatwick and five at Glasgow along with a handful of other services across Aberdeen, London City, Luton and Manchester.

But the disruption that has caused chaos for an estimated 300,000 passengers since Tuesday has started to ease overall, with schedules set to return to normal later today.

System issues have caused more than 2,000 flights to be cancelled so far and led to calls for National Air Traffic Services (NATS) chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign.

Among those insisting that Mr Rolfe should now step down has been Michael O’Leary, the outspoken boss of budget airline Ryanair who called his position ‘untenable’.

Mr O’Leary is likely to issue further criticism of Mr Rolfe when he hosts Ryanair’s annual general meeting at its headquarters close to Dublin Airport this morning.

Cancellations and delays continued today as airlines dealt with knock-on impacts, with data firm Cirium saying 2,145 flights were affected over the last two days.

National Air Traffic Services (NATS) boss Martin Rolfe has faced calls to resign this week

A total of 399 flights were cancelled or did not fly yesterday. The worst affected airport was Heathrow, which saw 79 out of a total of 666 departures affected.

Despite having presided over three major failures in recent years, Mr Rolfe earned £1.42million in pay and bonuses last year and £1.49million the year before.

But he was summoned for talks with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander yesterday amid growing calls from within the industry for him to be sacked.

Mr Rolfe has been given a week to report back on the cause behind the technical failure which is expected to have cost the industry tens of millions of pounds.

The minister later told MPs she did not believe the glitch was ‘unavoidable’ and said she had asked the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to conduct an independent review.

‘A four-hour air traffic outage yesterday left hundreds of thousands of passengers facing cancellations, diversions and delays,’ she told the Commons.

‘I would like to apologise wholeheartedly to passengers for this disruption,’ the minister added, vowing to leave ‘no stone unturned’ in getting to the bottom of the failure.

‘This morning I have spoken to NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe, who informed me this outage was due to a technical issue at their Swanwick site.

‘So, while my understanding from NATS is that we can rule out a cyber-attack on this occasion, I do not believe this issue was unavoidable.

‘But I am clear that passengers should not have to face this disruption. I have therefore asked the CAA to conduct an independent review.’

Despite this Andy Burnham’s spokesman said the Prime Minister still had confidence in the air traffic control provider’s head.

Mr Burnham’s spokesman said Ms Alexander had met with Mr Rolfe to ‘raise significant concerns at the scale of disruption on behalf of both passengers and industry’.

‘She’s asked him to carry out a full investigation into what happened to make sure that lessons are learned…,’ he added. ‘She set a deadline for them to report back in a week’s time.’

Asked whether the government still had confidence in Mr Rolfe, he said: ‘We have confidence in him and he’s been tasked with the investigation.’

But airline bosses were left furious with Wizz Air also publicly demanding for Mr Rolfe to be sacked.

Passengers wait to drop their bags at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal Two yesterday

Airlines UK, the association of UK airlines, said more than 155,000 passengers had flights cancelled while more than 180,000 experienced delays, taking the total number affected beyond 330,000.

In a strongly worded letter, the association’s chief executive Tim Alderslade wrote to the Transport Secretary yesterday to raise ‘serious concern’ and call for action.

‘Airlines should not be left as the insurer of last resort for failures they did not cause and cannot control,’ he said.

The letter, which was highly critical of NATS which serves 15 UK airports, said the flight-processing system had failed and the ‘full scale’ of the disruption was ‘still becoming clear’.

‘This kind of failure simply cannot happen again,’ it said.

The CAA said last night that passengers, many of whom were forced to book hotels and alternative last-minute flights, are unlikely to be entitled to any compensation over the disruption.

It said under passenger rights rules, the NATS issue is ‘likely to be considered the result of extraordinary circumstances’.

‘This means that although passengers should be looked after by airlines, they are unlikely to be entitled to compensation for delays or cancellations that were directly caused by the incident,’ it said in a statement.

Mr Rolfe yesterday apologised for the widespread chaos for which he said he took ‘full responsibility’.

‘We will be doing a very thorough and full investigation,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. ‘We have at this point ruled out a cyber-attack.’

‘Inevitably, things do go wrong in complex systems. We never want them to. We always hope they won’t, but we absolutely plan for them to and make sure we handle them properly.’

Defending the system, Mr Rolfe added the UK has ‘one of the best reputations’ globally for its air traffic control service, from both a safety and resilience perspective.

He said since NATS was partially privatised 25 years ago more than £1billion had been invested in the technology ‘consistently improving’ the service and its safety.

‘But all of those things don’t detract from the fact that when these things happen, it is disappointing and upsetting, for which I apologise.’

NATS said the failure occurred in its flight processing system at its Swanwick headquarters near Southampton, where air traffic controllers guide flights across all UK airspace.

But it said it was not the same issue which triggered the outages in 2023 and 2025 which also caused mass disruption.

Mr Rolfe said that his teams were now focused on dealing with the ‘huge tail of disruption’ caused by the outage, before they could examine the cause behind it.

‘What I will say is, I don’t believe we’ve ever seen an incident happen more than once, so this will be something different that we’ve never seen in 50 years of operation.’

British Airways said it has ‘long made the case for improved resilience in aviation’ and issues raised by the system failure need ‘to be addressed as a matter of urgency’.

The airline was the worst affected airline by disruption yesterday, as it saw 88 of its 507 flights scheduled to depart affected. Bosses said they were ‘incredibly sorry’ to customers and that the issue had been ‘entirely out of our control’.

Heathrow said this morning that it was working to ‘ensure the majority of flights operate as normal’ but advised passengers to check for the latest information before travelling to the airport.

A spokesperson for the London airport said: ‘Following Tuesday’s technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control, we continue to work closely with airlines to ensure the majority of flights operate as normal, although there may still be some changes to schedules.

‘We know the knock-on effects of Tuesday’s disruption have been frustrating, and we thank those affected for their patience.

‘We advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information before travelling to Heathrow.’

READ MORE: The head of air traffic – who earns almost 10x the PM and loves WFH

Judith Weelands, from Farsley in West Yorkshire, has been demonstrating outside a TUI branch after raising concerns about a £2,872 holiday to the Melia Dunas resort in Cape Verde.

TUI said it “thoroughly investigated” her complaints following her return from the trip and offered compensation, which it says was accepted in April.

‘Worst holiday in 55 years’

Mrs Weelands and her husband returned to the resort in January after previously visiting eight years ago.

She said: “We went to the Melia Dunas eight years ago and had the best holiday of a lifetime, so we decided to go back in January. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the worst holiday in 55 years.

Farsley resident Judith Weelands outside a TUI store during her ongoing protest. (Image: T&A)

“It was advertised as a five-star hotel and in our opinion it simply wasn’t five-star.”

She said concerns were raised with both hotel management and TUI representatives during the holiday.

Concerns over illness

Among the complaints raised by Mrs Weelands were concerns about illness among guests at the resort.

She said: “I caught the virus while we were there and it wasn’t just a normal upset stomach. It was horrendous, extremely painful and it lasted for the whole holiday and for around another two weeks after we got home.

“We had six friends on holiday with us and every single one of them ended up in bed with it.”

Mrs Weelands added that she was particularly concerned because her husband has existing health conditions.

TUI says complaint was investigated

A TUI UK&I spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear Ms Weelands was disappointed with parts of her holiday.

“Following her return, we thoroughly investigated the concerns she raised and offered compensation, which was accepted in April. The case was also independently reviewed through ABTA, who upheld our decision.

“We want every customer to have the best possible holiday experience and we are sorry that some aspects of Ms Weelands’ stay fell short of the high standards we aim to provide.”

Mrs Weelands, however, says the compensation offered did not adequately reflect the problems she experienced during the trip.

Complaints about standards

Mrs Weelands also criticised cleaning standards during the stay.

She said: “The cleaning was supposed to take place regularly, but there were times when it didn’t happen.

Farsley resident Judith Weelands outside a TUI store during her ongoing protest. (Image: T&A)

“It got to the point where I spent much of my holiday cleaning the room myself.”

Following the holiday, she pursued a complaint with TUI and said the company offered £290 compensation.

‘All I’ve ever wanted is to be treated fairly’

Despite the compensation offer and ABTA’s review, Mrs Weelands says she intends to continue protesting.

She said: “All I’ve ever wanted is to be treated fairly. We paid £2,872 for that holiday, even after discounts, and I don’t feel the compensation offered reflected what happened.

“The people of Leeds have been incredibly supportive. People stop to talk to me, take photographs and share my story because they believe customers should be treated properly.

“I’m quite happy to stand here for as long as it takes because I want people to know what happened to us and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same experience.”

Pregnant Anne Hathaway showed off her baby bump in a chic lilac gown at the Bvlgari exhibition in New York on Wednesday night. 

The 43-year-old looked sensational in a lilac £3,100 draped silk bustier gown by McQueen paired with a purple handbag and a bold red lip. 

Her billowing dress featured a balcony top with flowing silk material while she boosted her height with strappy gold sandals. 

In a nod to the host, Anne was dripping in jewels including a statement necklace with a vast amethyst pendant and a diamond chain. 

She cradled her bump as she left the event, where she was joined by fellow stars including Rachel Zoe, Chloe Wise, Kaytranada and Ivy Getty.

Corset-clad Dua Lipa and her husband Callum Turner looked as loved-up as ever as they headed into the bash while holding hands. 

The 43-year-old expectant mother looked sensational in a £3000 mauve strapless dress by McQueen paired with a purple handbag and a bold red lip

Her billowing dress featured a structured balcony top with flowing silk material while she boosted her height with strappy gold sandals

Anne’s outing comes after her fans dubbed her the ‘enemy of unemployment,’ after she announced her latest movie role after starring in five films this year. 

She revealed last week that she will appear alongside Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder 2, due in theaters summer 2028.

As the actress awaits her third child with husband Adam Shulman and maintains a fast-paced career, fans are wondering when the ubiquitous star finds time to rest. 

‘DOES ANNE EVER SLEEP?’ asked movie enthusiast Neemz, or @themovieposterguy, whose comment has over 35,000 likes.

Another follower jokingly called her ‘Anne Employed Hathaway,’ while another said ‘unemployment fears’ her.

Someone else lauded her jam-packed schedule, commenting: ‘I love a booked and busy woman.’

‘Her baby is already so well-traveled,’ quipped a fan, adding, ‘She’s everywhere.’

In a nod to the host, Anne was dripping in jewels including a statement necklace with a vast amethyst pendant and a diamond chain

Her billowing dress featured a structured balcony top with flowing silk material while she boosted her height with strappy gold sandals

Stylist to the stars Rachel Zoe looked elegant in silk

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Corset-clad Dua Lipa and her husband Callum Turner looked as loved-up as ever as they headed into the bash while holding hands

She revealed last week that she will appear alongside Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder 2, due in theaters summer 2028 

Another asked, ‘Is she the only actress available on earth? I mean… what is going on?’

Last week, Anne and Tom, 64, announced they will star in a sequel for the 1990 film Days of Thunder with a promotional photo and social media video. 

A snapshot featured the Hollywood vets leaning against a green and yellow race car at Daytona International Speedway.

They joined forces in a brief and lighthearted clip, in which the actress warmly greeted viewers with a ‘Hey!’ while leaning into the camera.

The duo then unveiled the parked vehicle, which had a decal reading: ‘Days of Thunder 2, summer 2028.’

‘Now what?’ Cruise asked Hathaway before she echoed, ‘Now what? Let’s make the movie!’

She rubbed her growing bump and added, ‘I’m gonna have this baby, and then we’re going to make this movie.’

Cruise approved, ‘That’s a good idea. You have the baby and then we’re gonna make the movie.’