UK airlines will be forced to cancel hundreds of flights this summer after London’s Gatwick Airport announced plans to limit its operations as staff shortages continue to plague the sector. transportation sector.
The UK’s second-busiest airport said on Friday it would cut the number of flights airlines can run to 825 a day in July and 850 in August, down from 900 that Gatwick plans to operate on peak days in August.
“Airlines will have to cut their schedules somewhat,” said Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick.
He said the decision was due to a shortage of staff at airlines, and especially ground-service staff, who are subcontracted through third-party companies to perform jobs ranging from baggage handling procedures.
Wingate said the decision will allow airlines and passengers to plan ahead and cut out last-minute flight cancellations. “People are more certain. At least they can be confident in July and August that the flights will be operational,” Wingate said.
EasyJet, Gatwick’s largest airline, is sure to experience the most disruption but said it has supported the actions and is “expected to be able to renovate the majority of customers”.
Gatwick’s decision to downsize its operations provides ample evidence that the airline industry won’t be able to carry as many passengers as promised this summer, following widespread labor shortages across its entire supply chain. branch.
The move comes after ministers asked airports and airlines to take stock of the short-term cancellations that have hit thousands of flights this year and remove flights from their schedules. in advance rather than having the passenger be changed during the day.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam have sent documents to industry leaders this week to tell them “more needs to be done” to protect peak summer flyers from the short-term notice disruption seen in recent weeks.
About 13 departures out of an average 400 daily flights were canceled during the height of the Gatwick disruption earlier this month, a period of “testing” the airport’s resources, Wingate said.
Several other companies have reduced their aircraft numbers for the summer, notably British Airways, which has decided to cut its flight schedule by 10% until October, to try to create resilience for operations. his stuttering.
EasyJet and Tui have also cut some flights, while Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Thursday announced similar plans to limit capacity this summer.
