Holiday company Tui will cancel more than 180 flights from Manchester Airport until the end of next month, as the chaos of medium-term travel continues unabated.
Tui said they were eliminating six flights a day to the center from May 31 to June 30, adding to the chaos facing passengers at airports this week as they struggle with long queues and canceled takeoffs. .
Tui, who had already announced some flight cancellations and delays over the weekend, blamed “the continued disruption of our operation in Manchester” for the “incredibly difficult decision” to cancel 43 flights a week.
Manchester Airport said they were “disappointed” to see that passengers’ holiday plans had been disrupted by the move, which they attributed to staff shortages in Tui and its land manager Swissport, which manages baggage check-in and management.
Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson said on Tuesday that the government was working to minimize disruptions for passengers after passengers at airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester reported significant delays.
He told Sky News that the travel industry should have been better prepared for an increase in post-pandemic holidays, adding that the disruption was causing “a lot of distress” to those trapped.
Queues at Manchester Airport. Tui announced on Monday a “small number” of flight cancellations at the start of the mid-term break. Photo: Chris Price / PA
Many travelers from Tui had bought their trips as a package, so all their vacation would have been canceled as well as the flight. Tui said he could not confirm the number of passengers affected, or how many holidays would be canceled.
In a statement, Tui said: “We would like to apologize to our customers who have suffered flight delays and cancellations in recent days and understand that many of our customers have been waiting for their holiday with us for a long time.
“Due to the number of continuous disruptions in our operations at Manchester Airport, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel six flights a day … until Thursday 30 June. other UK airports operate normally.
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“We understand how disappointing this will be for those affected; however, we believe this is necessary to provide stability and better customer service. “
Manchester Airport said: “Over the last few days, Tui and its designated ground manager, Swissport, have experienced major challenges with their check-in and baggage retrieval operations at Manchester Airport.
“From the extensive talks with the management teams of Tui and Swissport, it is clear that they are experiencing a shortage of temporary staff, in common with other airlines and travel.
“Given these challenges, we understand Tui’s difficult decision to cancel a series of services over the next month, although we are obviously disappointed to see that passenger plans are being disrupted in this way … In the meantime, we continue advising passengers to arrive three hours before their flight and be as prepared as possible for their journey through the airport. “