The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) denies that a “military jet” or its flight plan is responsible for an air traffic control disruption that causes chaos for flights, according to multiple outlets. The denial follows a report claiming the fault may have been linked to a military aircraft’s flight plan.
Several sources say the incident leads to public criticism of the UK’s air traffic services provider Nats. The Independent and the Evening Standard report that calls are made for Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign, reflecting anger at how the disruption was handled and what the public is being told about its cause. Other outlets focus more directly on the MoD’s response, repeating that the military aviation element described in the earlier report is not accepted as the cause.
While the outlets agree on the existence of a disruption and the subsequent MoD denial, they differ in emphasis: some foreground the alleged “military jet” link and MoD’s rebuttal, while others stress the leadership backlash against Nats following the disruption.
