Gatwick holidaymakers’ travel plans this summer will be thwarted as the airport imposes restrictions on the number of flights for the first time in its history.
In a move designed to alleviate further travel chaos this summer, Gatwick will limit the number of daily flights to 825 in July and 850 in August. Usually up to 900 flights will take off and land at the airport during these months.
The restrictions mean that up to 4,000 flights will have to be canceled at the second busiest airport in Britain, which will damage the plans for a summer vacation of approximately 800,000 people.
Stuart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick, said the ceiling was designed to combat the large number of cancellations on the same day by airlines.
Gatwick has negotiated restrictions with airlines such as easyJet, Wizz and British Airways, and Mr Wingate has insisted that passengers on canceled flights will be recharged on various departures.
“We put a hell of a lot of effort into preparing for the summer,” he said. “[But] the rebound is happening faster at Gatwick than at any other European airport. “
“It is clear that during the anniversary week, a number of companies operating at the airport were in difficulty, mainly due to staff shortages. By taking decisive action now, we are working to help ground operators – and also our airlines – better combine their flight programs with their available resources. ”
There was chaos when traveling to Gatwick during the anniversary celebrations, as passengers were affected by last-minute cancellations and widespread disruptions.
The airport is also struggling with staff shortages among air traffic controller staff.
Mr Wingate said 800 flights took off and landed each day during the anniversary weekend – less than the restrictions that will be imposed for July and August.
The decision to limit the number of flights in and out of Gatwick – an unprecedented move by airport chiefs – followed a review by management to avoid a repeat of the recent chaos during the key summer months.
The return of overseas travel after two years of Covid restrictions has been overshadowed by chaotic scenes at airports. Long queues in front of terminal buildings were common during the Easter holidays and the recent half-term break.
Airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights as they struggle with staff shortages.
Grant Shaps, the transport minister, accused airlines and airports of not “preparing” for the crucial summer season.
But aviation leaders have been attacking the government after chaos warnings went unheeded in Whitehall in January.
Gatwick’s intervention comes just over a day after the Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority asked airlines to revise their flight schedules to make sure they were “deliverable.”
Mr Schaps had previously accused airlines of selling seats on flights they knew they would not have the capacity to operate.
Flights that are not feasible should be canceled as soon as possible, officials said, as an additional blow to British holidaymakers facing a summer of travel chaos.
Rania Leontaridi, head of aviation at DfT, and Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, added that there would be “inevitable cancellations” in the coming weeks and months.
Airlines have been told: “Your schedules must be based on the resources you and your contractors expect to have, and must be resilient to the unplanned and unavoidable operational challenges you will face.
“Although cancellation at any time is a pitiful inconvenience for passengers, we believe that cancellation at the earliest opportunity to provide a more stable schedule is better for consumers than late notice on the day of cancellation.
Mr Wingate said: “The steps taken today mean that our passengers can expect a more reliable and better standard of service, while improving the conditions for staff working at the airport.
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