Thousands of people working in the aviation industry have been laid off during the coronavirus pandemic. After the quarantines and flight bans ended, the number of flights and passengers increased, and airports began to become inadequate.
Flight cancellations or long delays at London airports have suffered tens of thousands of passengers. Thereupon, the government and officials told airline companies to create realistic flight schedules for the summer period.
Gatwick management stated that the decision to reduce the number of flights was temporary and was taken to provide passengers with “more reliable and better standards of service”.
Airport manager Stewart Wingate states that many airline companies are experiencing difficulties due to the lack of personnel during the week when the events are held on the grounds of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and adds:
“By putting this decision into practice, we aim to help airline and ground employees to better implement their flight schedules”.
More than 150 flights across the UK were canceled during the Platinum Jubilee week. Flights were disrupted during school holidays and Easter.
In a statement made by the airline company EasyJet, it was said that it was aware of the situation announced by Gatwick Airport and was reviewing how it would affect its operations. Across Europe, it was stated that airline companies can provide reliable service to their customers with a good determination of the realistic capacity of airports in the current environment.
‘CANCELLATIONS MUST BE NOTIFIED BEFORE’
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of Advantage, Britain’s largest travel agency, draws attention to the importance of informing passengers about cancellations in advance.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, who added that people need “certainty” even though “the vast majority” of planes take off, drew attention to the travel problems experienced at airports in England this year, emphasizing that this “pragmatic solution” was found to prevent them.
“I’m not talking about forcing people to do that,” Paul Scully, deputy business secretary, suggested airport workers could work longer hours if they wanted to.
“We want to work closely with airports and airlines as they are doing everything they can and to see what more we can do,” Scully told Sky News.
Gatwick also said it has hired 400 new employees this summer to help pass passengers through security control zones, and more will be hired in the coming weeks.
However, it was stated that some companies at the airport still have a shortage of personnel, and delays and cancellations may continue.
Following the cancellations and delays in flights, the Civil Transport and Aviation Department asked the airlines to review their schedules and to cancel the flights that were predicted to be inoperable.