British Airways will cancel more than 1,000 additional flights this summer from Heathrow and Gatwick as staff shortages continue to affect operations, while refueling staff at Heathrow have announced they will lower tools by the end of this month.
More than 100,000 travelers, including those planning to visit popular tourist destinations such as Malaga, Palma and Faro, will be affected, although BA will mainly reduce routes with multiple daily departures.
And in the latest threat for the summer getaway, Heathrow workers refueling planes for 70 airlines, including Virgin, KLM, Air France and Emirates, have announced a 72-hour march on July 21. in protest of a three-year wage freeze.
The strike by 50 Unite members working for Aviation Fuel Services, one of four aircraft supply companies at Heathrow, could disrupt and delay flights at the start of the summer holidays. British Airways has an independent provider and will not be directly affected.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Oil and gas companies are making massive profits, so AFS has the means to make a proper offer.”
BA, which in the spring canceled around 10% of its scheduled flights through October, has decided to further cut its timetable after the government offered a “space amnesty” last month.
The measure allowed airlines to temporarily reduce their operations without losing the right to valuable landing strips at occupied airports, which are normally granted under the “use it or lose it” rule.
A British Airways spokesman said: “We took precautionary measures earlier this year to reduce our daylight saving time to provide customers with as much notice as possible about any changes to their travel plans.
“As the entire aviation industry continues to face the most difficult period in its history, it has unfortunately become necessary to make some additional reductions. We contact customers to apologize and offer to return. to reserve or issue a full refund “.
The airline did not dispute the figures reported in the Telegraph, of 650 more cancellations in July, and it is understood that a similar number of flights are being withdrawn from August schedules.
The share price of BA owner IAG fell 3% further on the news. Its market value has fallen by 40% in just over four months, as optimism about the rise in post-Covid travel has given way to a series of negative headlines about the failure of aviation to make facing demand.
In May, BA reduced its capacity by about 8,000 flights for the summer, to an extent it said would ensure resilience. It now plans to operate just under 80% of its pre-pandemic schedule after the last cut, a decision that underscores how hiring remains a challenge.
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The airline laid off thousands of cabin crew and ground staff in 2020 and re-hired the rest on inferior terms and conditions. He said he was forced to take drastic measures to survive when the coronavirus put all flights on the ground, leaving him facing losses of up to £ 20 million every day.
Airlines and airports have been struggling to re-hire staff, but have struggled in a tight, long-awaited labor market for background checks and security clearance. Long queues and chaotic cancellations have already become widespread at Easter and in the medium term in UK departure lounges, even before the start of the high holiday season.
The continuing threat of strikes by BA ground staff at its main Heathrow base. Unit members have voted in favor of the action and maintain that the 10% wage cuts imposed during the pandemic have been canceled.
BA is not alone in its problems, as its biggest competitor in the UK, easyJet, announced on Monday that it had split from its chief operating officer Peter Bellew. The economic airline also canceled about 10,000 flights from its summer schedule last month, reducing the total capacity by 97% from pre-pandemic levels by around 90% as it tries to recover after weeks. of delays and last minute cancellations.