In the UK, airlines and tour operators have sold more flights abroad than they can afford, Transport Minister Grant Schapps explained the chaos at airports during school holidays and on the eve of the Queen’s platinum anniversary, BNR reports.
Grant Schapps said it was very unpleasant to see people at airports with canceled or delayed flights whose vacation plans had been thwarted. Hundreds of airlines have canceled hundreds of flights, and it is estimated that about 2 million Britons intend to go abroad in the coming days.
The most serious situation is with Tui and EasyJet.
Shapps said the government had made it clear that airline executives needed to address the problems observed during Easter.
He added that he would meet with airport officials, airlines and ground staff to find out the exact reasons and ways to stop cancellations and flight delays. But he noted that, despite warnings from the government, tour operators have seriously exceeded their capabilities by committing to more flights than they can provide.
The main problem in the aviation industry is the lack of staff, as airlines are unable to recruit the required number of staff after thousands of people were sent on forced leave during the pandemic, when flights ceased.
Prior to Covid-19, about 140,000 people worked at UK airports and airlines, but since then thousands of jobs have been cut, including 30,000 at airlines alone.