Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of military flight plan data entry on the NATS flight processing system on 8 September 2026.

The Government has been clear that the disruption caused to passengers and industry was completely unacceptable. Following the incident, NATS was instructed to undertake a rapid investigation, and the Civil Aviation Authority has been commissioned to conduct an independent review of the findings and wider resilience arrangements.

NATS' investigation into the incident concluded that the disruption was caused by a software defect within the National Airspace System flight data processing software. NATS has stated that the incident was not caused by any incorrect actions by either military or civil operators.

The Government will continue to work with NATS, the Civil Aviation Authority, airports, airlines and other stakeholders to ensure lessons are learned and that any necessary improvements are implemented to strengthen the resilience of the UK's air traffic management systems.