National Air Traffic Services (NATS) chief executive Martin Rolfe is facing intense scrutiny following a significant technical failure that disrupted air travel across the UK this week. The incident, described as a 'technical issue' involving the flight processing system, led to nearly 2,000 flight cancellations by Wednesday night and stranded approximately a quarter of a million passengers. This event marks the third major air traffic disruption overseen by Rolfe in recent years.
Rolfe, who has led NATS since 2015, earned approximately £1.418 million in pay and bonuses last year, and £1.493 million the year before. Over his five-year tenure, his total earnings have reached £6.187 million. This compensation package is significantly higher than his Dutch counterpart, who earns around £225,000 annually. Ryanair, a major airline, has criticized Rolfe's pay as excessive for a leader whose organization has experienced repeated failures. In the first half of 2025 alone, UK air traffic control was responsible for 2,770 flight delays, compared to 284 in the Netherlands.
Previous incidents include a computer crash in July of the previous year that resulted in 150 flight cancellations, and a larger disruption during the August Bank Holiday of 2023. That 2023 event, caused by a system meltdown, led to the closure of Britain's airspace for a period, affecting 700,000 passengers and costing the industry an estimated £65 million.
Ryanair and Wizz Air have called for Rolfe's resignation, with Wizz Air's CEO deeming NATS 'not fit for purpose' and suggesting that three major failures warrant a "three strikes and you are out" approach. Ryanair has accused NATS of failing to learn from past crises and alleged a lack of investment in its systems, with profits instead being channeled into management bonuses and shareholder dividends. According to aviation security expert Julian Bray, a core issue lies with NATS' aging computer system in Southampton, parts of which still run on the COBOL programming language. He suggests a complete system replacement is needed, but an entrenched board is hesitant to invest.
Further compounding the criticism is NATS' policy on remote working. The organization promotes an 'agile working' regime, allowing many staff to work from home. This practice was implicated in the 2023 incident, where the on-call engineer responsible for resolving the system crash was working remotely and reportedly faced a 90-minute delay driving to the office. Despite widespread criticism following an official report into the incident, NATS continues to highlight the benefits of agile working for potential recruits.
NATS, which is 49% publicly owned, employs over 5,000 staff with an average salary and pension package of £115,000. The company reported a profit of £165.9 million last year. However, instead of reinvesting heavily in infrastructure, NATS has paid substantial dividends to shareholders, including the government and airlines, totaling £70 million last year and £170 million the year prior. Between 2010 and 2020, £550 million was distributed in dividends.
Rolfe has stated that he understands the frustration of travelers and will accept accountability. He met with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, and Downing Street has indicated he retains the government's confidence. However, the repeated technical failures and the substantial compensation package have intensified questions about the leadership's effectiveness and the future viability of Rolfe's position.