Airline companies are expressing anger and disappointment with the UK aviation regulator following an increase in air traffic control charges. The move comes after a National Air Traffic Services IT failure in August, which resulted in flight cancellations and delays affecting thousands of passengers. Due to the recent airport disruption, airlines believe that the increases cannot be justified, given their recent negative experiences. Airlines UK, which represents some of the industry’s biggest names including British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and Tui, has warned travelers of inevitable fare hikes.
Starting next year, airlines will see the cost of air traffic control rise from £47 to £64 per flight until 2027, representing an increase of around 43p per passenger. The increase is considered by some to be an additional burden on airlines, who are already bearing the costs of incidents outside of their control. Airline executives have stressed the urgent need to protect consumers and requested an independent review of Nats, the company responsible for the UK’s air traffic control, to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to avoid further such IT meltdowns.
While Nats has stated that measures are already in place to prevent a recurrence of the disruption in August, it has confirmed it will not directly reimburse airlines for the costs of the technical fault. The airline regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, has chosen not to link its recent decision on air traffic control charges to its ongoing investigation into the August event. Meanwhile, there are concerns that if airlines diverted flights away from UK airspace, it would result in less revenue for Nats and ultimately create a greater burden for airlines left behind.
The announcement on 27 October has already been described as “airway robbery” by one airline executive because, Nats, as a monopoly, leaves airlines with no choice but to accept the new charges. This decision will have a significant impact on airlines that were considering investing in more fuel-efficient planes in response to increased public pressure to reduce emissions and the high costs associated with this investment
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