The safest option is always to not allow anyone to fly
One might wonder if zee Govt is in a better position to make that decision than the Companies, the pilots and the PAX.
Do you honestly think that NATS wants no aircraft flying? They are in the same position as the airlines, no flights = no money.
And yes i think the govt is in a better position to decide than all of the above and i would also include NATS. Thats what the govt is there for. To make those hard decisions, thats the point of them. The airlines would have continued flying, the pilots would have been under massive pressure to fly and with the greatest respect to the PAX most of them seem to think i stand in front of a parking aircraft waving two table tennis bats so i'll not listen to them. The reason that NATS took the course of action that they did is because the CAA and DofT wouldn't.