Holidaymakers flying from Gatwick this summer will have their travel plans interrupted as the airport imposes restrictions on the number of flights for the first time in its history.
In a measure designed to alleviate the chaos of travel this summer, Gatwick will limit the number of daily flights to 825 in July and 850 in August. During these months, they would take off and land up to 900 flights at the airport.
The restrictions mean that up to 4,000 flights will have to be canceled at Britain’s second busiest airport, affecting the summer holiday plans of some 800,000 people.
Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick, said the limit was designed to combat a large number of same-day cancellations by airlines.
Gatwick had agreed to restrictions with airlines such as easyJet, Wizz and British Airways and Wingate insisted that passengers on canceled flights would be re-booked on different departures.
“We have made a great effort to prepare for the summer period,” he said. “[But] the bounce is happening faster in Gatwick than in any other European airport. “
“It is clear that during the week of the Jubilee some companies operating at the airport struggled especially due to staff shortages. By taking decisive action now, we aim to help ground operators, as well as our airlines, better match their flight schedules with available resources. “
There was chaos traveling to Gatwick during the Jubilee holiday, as passengers were affected by last minute cancellations and widespread disruption.
The airport has also been struggling with staff absences among air traffic controllers.
Wingate said 800 flights had taken off and landed each day during the Jubilee weekend, less than the limits set for July and August.
The decision to restrict the number of flights to and from Gatwick, an unprecedented move by airport chiefs, was followed by a review by management to prevent a repeat of the recent chaos during the key months of Gatwick. summer.
The return of overseas travel after two years of Covid restrictions has been hampered by chaotic scenes at airports. Long queues stretching to the terminal buildings were common during the Easter holidays and the last mid-term holidays.
Airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to staff shortages.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accused airlines and airports of not “preparing” for the crucial summer season.
Aviation leaders, however, have attacked the government after warnings of chaos fell on Whitehall in January.
Gatwick’s intervention comes just over a day after the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority demanded that airlines review their summer schedules to make sure they were “deliverable.”
Shapps has previously accused airlines of selling seats on flights they knew they would not be able to operate.
Flights that are not feasible should be canceled at the first opportunity, officials said, once again for British tourists facing a summer of travel chaos.
Rannia Leontaridi, head of aviation at DfT, and Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, added that there will be “inevitable cancellations” in the coming weeks and months.
Airlines were told: “Your schedules should be based on the resources you and your contractors expect to have available, and should be resilient to the unplanned and unavoidable operational challenges you face.
“While cancellations at any time are an unfortunate inconvenience for passengers, we believe that cancellations at the earliest opportunity to offer a stronger schedule are better for consumers than late cancellations.” .
Wingate said: “The measures taken today mean that our passengers can expect a more reliable and better service, while improving the conditions of the staff working at the airport.”