Air traffic control boss who earned £1.5MILLION last year facing pressure to QUIT after three airport meltdowns

THE UK’s top air traffic control boss is facing pressure to quit after he presided over three catastrophic failures. Martin Rolfe, 51, the senior executive of National Air Traffic Services was paid £1.5 million, including £871,000 in bonuses, last year but is now facing questions over his future. Martin Rolfe has been the CEO of Nats since 2015 Credit: Alamy Passengers wait at Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 in London, on September 9, 2026, after the air traffic control meltdown Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The executive has been accused of overseeing a “litany of failures” during his time as CEO of the UK’s air traffic control services. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander demanded Rolfe launch a rapid review into the chaos, telling MPs on Wednesday afternoon that she did not believe the most recent air traffic control issue was “unavoidable.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Thousands of passengers currently face being stuck abroad until next week after more than 1,000 flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to the latest ATC failure. The issue emerged at around 1pm on Tuesday and, while now fixed, Nats has warned that delays are expected to continue as it tries to “clear a backlog of flights.” Passengers were left facing major delays in the latest crisis Credit: Getty Passengers wait at a departure lounge at a terminal in Heathrow Airport Credit: EPA The Nats chief executive found himself overseeing the huge failure just three years after promising a major meltdown “won’t happen again.” He previously faced turbulence in 2023 when he oversaw his first failure in air traffic control, which affected more than 250,000 passengers. The August bank holiday failure was sparked when a small piece of incorrect data set off a mass system failure lasting just a few hours. Despite the small time frame, hundreds of flights were forced to divert to alternative airports outside of the country and UK airspace capacity was reduced by about 90 per cent. Most read in The Sun The “one in 15 million” event led to thousands of flights being cancelled and delayed. In the aftermath of the 2023 incident, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said NATS could raise the amount it charges airlines by 25 per cent to ensure “safety and quality service.” Another incident under Rolfe’s leadership affected hundreds of flights in July 2025 and was blamed on a radar-related failure. It was only a 20-minute outage but the knock-on effect was catastrophic with some 250 flights cancelled. Travellers are now being told they will not receive compensation if their flights were cancelled during the latest blunder because the outage will likely be considered as “extraordinary circumstances.” Nats boasts air traffic control responsibilities at some 15 airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester, with Rolfe in charge of the company. The National Air Traffic Services [Nats] boss has held his position since 2015. A consortium of airlines part-own Nats, with around 42 per cent of the firm owned by various airlines including British Airways while 49 per cent is owned by the government. On the day of the latest failure, Ryanair chief operations officer Neal McMahon said Rolfe must resign. In a statement issued online he said: “They have a crap system and they don’t invest in it. “Instead of investing in the system, they pay big bonuses to management and they pay huge dividends to the shareholders.” While the boss of Wizz Air UK Yvonne Moynihan told BBC Radio 4: “I think in any industry, when you’ve had three failures, you need to consider that three strikes and you’re out.” Whitehall sources told The Times: “The government holds the golden share in Nats and Martin Rolfe has overseen repeated outages that seem to wash off him like water off a duck’s back. “In no other role could you oversee such a litany of failure and survive.” Rolfe has ruled out a cyberattack as the cause behind the most recent failure and has denied that it was the same issue that caused the 2023 meltdown. He said: “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.” Downing Street said Rolfe still has the confidence of the government despite the most recent disaster. NATS employs more than 5,000 staff who are reportedly encouraged to work from home by their chief executive. The firm issued a statement in the aftermath of the failure, apologising to passengers who had been stranded. Nats said: “We would also like to reiterate our apology to all those affected — passengers, airlines and airports — by our system issue yesterday. “While our immediate focus is on safely managing today’s flights, a full investigation will be conducted to establish what happened and identify any further action needed.” Hundreds of travellers have since taken to social media to share how they are stuck abroad in destinations including Tenerife, Corfu and Paris – and some even as far as Seoul and the US. Others have been stranded in UK airports with some stuck on planes for hours before moving. The Sun has contacted Nats for comment. Four tips to help you claim back compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled MORE than seven million of us are expected to fly to European holiday spots this summer. As peak holiday season hits, some delays are unavoidable. If you’re one of those whose flight is disrupted, knowing your rights will help you claim back compensation. GROUNDED: If your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before you fly, you are entitled to a new flight or refund and possibly compensation. This applies to flights departing from a UK or EU airport, regardless of airline, and to flights arriving at a UK or EU airport, if operated by a UK or EU airline. In other cases, you’ll probably be entitled to a refund or an alternative flight, but you may not get compensation. LATE LEAVING: Again, for EU or UK flights or airlines, if your arrival is delayed by more than three hours, you’re usually entitled to compensation — unless the delay was caused by circumstances beyond the airline’s control, like severe weather or air traffic control strikes. Email or phone the airline, providing flight details and booking references, as well as the length of the delay. The amount you’ll get depends on the delay length and journey distance. MEAL MATHS: If a flight is delayed by at least two hours for short flights or three hours for medium-distance, or four hours for long-haul, the airline must provide free meals and refreshments. If the delay means you have to stay overnight, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel. If it doesn’t provide these and you end up paying for food, a hotel or transport yourself, keep all receipts so you can claim back reasonable expenses later. PAPER TRAIL: Airlines often dispute compensation, so arm yourself with clear evidence. Take photos of delay announcements on departure boards, and gate changes. Keep emails, text alerts and boarding passes. You can claim for delays that happened up to six years ago. 4 comments4