Manchester will not be the only British airport to massively cancel flights for the summer season. London-Gatwick have announced that they too will limit flights during the summer due to severe staff shortages.
In London, too, they are faced with a massive increase in passenger numbers and a major shortage of staff. On peak days in August, the number of flights is normally around 900, reports Reuters news agency.
Cancel 4,000 flights until September
As reported by the management of Britain’s second largest airport, they plan to limit flights to a daily maximum of 825 in July and 850 in August. This would mean eliminating 4,000 flights planned until September, since an average of 900 daily was originally planned.
Gatwick makes the decision to avoid chaos. Until now, airlines often had to cancel flights at the last minute. However, by doing this preventively, passengers do not come to the airport.
Some 800,000 tourists affected
From the airport manager, they wield that they will be able to offer better quality and more reliable service. However, it is noteworthy that the suppression of flights will affect some 800,000 tourists.
A busy summer
“We’re working closely with our airlines to avoid disruption to passengers this summer, and while more newly hired staff will start work in the coming weeks, we know it’s going to be a busy one,” said Stewart Wingate, airport chief executive officer at Gatwick. In fact, he has confirmed they have hired 400 new workers to help them lighten the crowds at passenger controls.
