EasyJet cancels 2% of summer flights over air traffic worries, ET TravelWorld

[ad_1]

<p>FILE PHOTO: An easyJet Airbus A319-100 plane prepares to land at Lisbon's airport, Portugal April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/File Photo</p>
FILE PHOTO: An easyJet Airbus A319-100 plane prepares to land at Lisbon’s airport, Portugal April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/File Photo

British airline easyJet has axed 2% of its summer flight schedule, affecting the holiday plans of 180,000 customers, which it blamed on air traffic control challenges across Europe.

The travel industry is on high alert for disruption this summer after Europe’s peak season last year was hit by cancellations, causing chaos at airports, because the industry did not have enough staff to handle the rapid bounce back in demand after the pandemic.

This summer, air traffic control issues are likely to be the weak spot, according to warnings from Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace.

EasyJet, the biggest airline in the UK by number of passengers, said on July 10 that making changes now meant it could avoid last-minute cancellations which were more costly and caused passengers more inconvenience.

Europe's ongoing strikes may bring other travel disruptions

Airlines have said they are ready to avoid a repeat of last year’s travel chaos, after strikes and staff shortages forced them to cancel thousands of flights to avoid long queues at major airports. But air traffic control strikes, which have caused airlines to demand protections for overflights, and ongoing wage talks by airport and airline staff could bring about further disruptions.

The airline said it had plenty of crew and pilots but worries over air traffic meant it had cancelled 1,700 flights, mostly from its biggest base at London‘s Gatwick airport, out of the 90,000 scheduled for the rest of July and August. It said 95% of affected passengers had already been re-booked on an alternative flight because it had mostly consolidated flights with multiple frequencies.

Europe’s airspace has been squeezed by the war in Ukraine leaving less capacity for aircraft, plus staffing issues at some air control locations and industrial action are causing bottlenecks, making on the day cancellations more likely.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused,” easyJet said in a statement. It pointed also to strike action by air traffic controllers for the cancellations.

  • Published On Jul 11, 2023 at 05:33 PM IST

Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals

Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis.

Download ETTravelWorld App

  • Get Realtime updates
  • Save your favourite articles


Scan to download App


[ad_2]
Source link

About admin

Check Also

Red Sea International Airport welcomes first overseas flight, sets sight on sustainable tourism, ET TravelWorld

[ad_1] Red Sea Global (RSG) has achieved a significant milestone with the launch of its …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *