LONDON: A major British airport warned passengers on Friday to expect travel delays to continue for months, as Britain’s aviation regulator warned the country’s air industry against weeks of canceled flights and long airport queues. Asked to size later.
head of Manchester Airport In north west England it has been said that passengers could face waits of up to 90 minutes to pass through security “over the next few months”.
Travelers in the UK have faced several days of delays during the current Easter school holiday, with British Airways and EasyJet canceling hundreds of flights due to coronavirus-related staff absenteeism, and airport check-in, security And have formed long lines at similar points.
Manchester, Heathrow and Birmingham airports have all experienced problems, stemming from a mix of sick staff with COVID-19 and trouble replacing workers laid off during the pandemic, when international travel ground to a halt.
managing director of manchester This week the airport resigned. Charlie CornishThe chief executive of owner Manchester Airports Group acknowledged that the airport does not have “the number of staff required to provide the level of service to our passengers”.
“Despite our efforts since last autumn, the tight labor market around the airport means we have not been able to quickly hire people to set up a full-strength team,” he said.
He said departing passengers should reach three hours before their flights to ensure adequate time.
Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Richard Moriarty told airlines that they should set a “deliverable” schedule and have a “necessary level” of staff.
In a letter, he said the delays and cancellations were “not only troubling for the affected consumers, but have the potential to affect the level of trust across the industry”.
EasyJet said earlier this week that the number of crew illnesses was more than double the normal level due to high COVID-19 infection rates across Europe.
British Airways said many of its cancellations involved flights that were last month decided to shorten its schedule until the end of May to boost credibility amid rising COVID-19 cases.
Infections across the UK have risen again with the rapid spread of the more transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant, reaching record levels last week when official figures showed 1 in 13 people had the virus.
The Easter school holidays are the first time many families in Britain have booked trips abroad after two years of pandemic restrictions. All remaining virus measures, including mandatory self-isolation for the infected and testing requirements for international travel, were phased out in February and March.
head of Manchester Airport In north west England it has been said that passengers could face waits of up to 90 minutes to pass through security “over the next few months”.
Travelers in the UK have faced several days of delays during the current Easter school holiday, with British Airways and EasyJet canceling hundreds of flights due to coronavirus-related staff absenteeism, and airport check-in, security And have formed long lines at similar points.
Manchester, Heathrow and Birmingham airports have all experienced problems, stemming from a mix of sick staff with COVID-19 and trouble replacing workers laid off during the pandemic, when international travel ground to a halt.
managing director of manchester This week the airport resigned. Charlie CornishThe chief executive of owner Manchester Airports Group acknowledged that the airport does not have “the number of staff required to provide the level of service to our passengers”.
“Despite our efforts since last autumn, the tight labor market around the airport means we have not been able to quickly hire people to set up a full-strength team,” he said.
He said departing passengers should reach three hours before their flights to ensure adequate time.
Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Richard Moriarty told airlines that they should set a “deliverable” schedule and have a “necessary level” of staff.
In a letter, he said the delays and cancellations were “not only troubling for the affected consumers, but have the potential to affect the level of trust across the industry”.
EasyJet said earlier this week that the number of crew illnesses was more than double the normal level due to high COVID-19 infection rates across Europe.
British Airways said many of its cancellations involved flights that were last month decided to shorten its schedule until the end of May to boost credibility amid rising COVID-19 cases.
Infections across the UK have risen again with the rapid spread of the more transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant, reaching record levels last week when official figures showed 1 in 13 people had the virus.
The Easter school holidays are the first time many families in Britain have booked trips abroad after two years of pandemic restrictions. All remaining virus measures, including mandatory self-isolation for the infected and testing requirements for international travel, were phased out in February and March.