More travel chaos

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [The Independent]( August 30, 2023 [View online](   [Morning Headlines]( 1 /[300,000 hit by cancellations – and French error blamed for air traffic mayhem]( [Passengers]( hit by the [air traffic control meltdown]( face being [stranded abroad for up to a week](, as it emerged that an incorrectly filed flight plan by a French airline [may have triggered the outage](. Around 300,000 airline passengers have now been hit by [flight cancellations]( since the hours-long failure of the [Nats]( system on bank holiday Monday. The knock-on effect is set to last for several more days, as under-pressure [airlines]( battle the backlog in a week where millions are already returning to the UK from their summer holidays. Several sources say the issue may have been caused when a French airline filed a dodgy flight plan that made no digital sense. Instead of the error being rejected, it prompted a shutdown of the entire Nats system – raising questions over how one clerical error could cause such mayhem. Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe appeared to confirm the inputting error late on Tuesday, saying in a statement: “Initial investigations into the problem show it relates to some of the flight data we received.” Downing Street has launched an independent review into the incident, which caused more than a quarter of flights at UK airports to be cancelled on Monday.   2 /[Ulez expansion sees cameras destroyed and police scuffle with furious protesters]( Defiant London mayor defends ‘vital’ scheme, amid angry clashes outside No 10 and ‘get Khan out’ chants 3 /[Brexit checks on food imports pushed back until 2024 in fifth delay]( New controls will bring ‘considerable benefits’ to trade, says Tory minister – as latest red tape wave pushed back until January 2024 /[Michael Gove claims ‘Brexit freedoms’ mean pollution rules can be watered down]( Housing secretary sparks environmentalist fury by ripping up so-called ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules 5 /[Foreign secretary visits Beijing as MPs call for unclassified China strategy]( The Foreign Affairs Committee is calling for a more structured and comprehensive approach to dealing with China THE BIG QUESTION [Flight cancelled? Put your questions to Simon Calder as airport mayhem continues]( Flight cancellations are continuing as airlines struggle to recover from the four-hour failure of the main air-traffic control system across the UK on bank holiday Monday. The outage [left aircraft and flight crew out of position]( after the severe disruption on Monday 28 August, with an estimated 1,200 flights to and from the UK cancelled. So how likely is it that your travel plans will be impacted by [the chaos](outlined above? The Independent’s travel correspondent is ready to answer all [your questions]( on this on Wednesday morning. [Submit your question for Simon]( Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Watch / [‘Gosh, what is that?’: Surgeon recalls finding live worm in woman’s brain]( NUMBER OF THE DAY £400 – A billionaire Tory donor has been told to tear down [his five-star hotel]( where it cost more than £400 a night to stay. The sprawling property was where [Rishi Sunak]( and [Ursula von der Leyen]( signed the [Brexit]( deal. [Read the full article here]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “I will remain here for as long as my body can.” – The mother of suspended Spanish football president [Luis Rubiales]( remains locked inside a church on hunger strike in protest against her son’s treatment after he kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the World Cup final. 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