Problems in the European aviation industry, especially with staff, have resulted in tourists’ nightmares of fan cancellations. The problem, which started in the UK, then spread to Germany and the Netherlands and is now spreading to Switzerland, France, and Spain. German Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Eurowings and Swiss announced the cancellation of flights yesterday: in July, carriers will cancel hundreds of flights.
It will be recalled that at the beginning of the month, mass cancellations, chaos at the airport, and huge long queues of 12 hours and more now, according to Britain, have already been recorded in the Netherlands, and even reached Germany. The reason is the same: a massive shortage of staff at airports and airlines after the dismissal of employees during the pandemic. Read the details at this link.
At the peak of the season, the nightmare will only continue. According to German media, due to a lack of staff, Lufthansa will cancel 900 flights to Germany and Europe at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. “The cancellation of flights in July affects 5% of flights on weekdays on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays,” the statement said. Eurowings will also cancel several hundred flights in July alone, Swiss will cut flights mainly from Zurich to Germany, but the cancellations will also affect international flights.
The cancellation of flights was caused by the “post-war syndrome”: during the pandemic, many employees in the aviation industry were forced to find another job and now can not quickly find a replacement. As a result, the logistics of passenger service, aircraft service, and flight support have become extremely difficult – especially with the sharp increase in the volume of flights at this time.
“In all places, service providers involved in passenger service are short of about 20% of ground staff compared to the pre-pandemic period. This can lead to problems during rush hours, especially during check-in, when loading suitcases, and aviation security control, ”said Ralph Basel, Executive Director of the ADV Airports Association.
We will remind also you that sources in the aviation branch do not comfort tourists – employees work on wear, and there is no place to take new. So the chaos will continue throughout the summer season, and winter will not be easier.