The transport secretary has rejected calls for an emergency visa for aviation workers to deal with the airport chaos that has overshadowed the semi-secret vacation, industry chiefs said.
Sources in the sector, speaking to the BBC, accused Grant Shaps of excluding the filling of ground and air shortages by amending the government’s list of professions.
Unsupported airports in the UK are struggling to cope with growing demand in the half-season, with tourists affected by long queues and canceled flights.
More than 30,000 employees have been laid off by British airlines in the last two years. The half-term is the industry’s first major test since travel restrictions in the UK Covid were lifted in March, with an airport manager saying it will take time to recover staff.
Although queues appear to have shrunk by Thursday, there are fears that the industry will not be able to cope with the resurgence of demand in July and August.
The Ministry of Transport and the Aviation Industry has set up a group to discuss mitigating travel time in time for the summer holidays.
In particular, bosses question why some people – including chefs and ballet dancers – are eligible for a skilled worker visa, while aviation officials are not.
Ian Costigan, interim managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “Since the beginning of the year, we have been working to hire the people we need to support the recovery of our operation. This is time consuming due to the long inspections and training, but we were really encouraged by the level of interest.
The airport has hired 340 people this year, with another 500 undergoing security checks.
Shaps met with aviation chiefs on Wednesday afternoon to discuss travel chaos. He then said that the resource congestion in the sector “does not justify poor planning and excessive flight reservations, which they [airlines] it cannot serve ”. He said he also expressed concern that airline passengers had been unfairly sold tickets for holidays that could not continue.
The GMB union, which represents many aviation workers, accused the transport secretary of being dishonest about the comments, given that staffing problems “have been on the radar for a long time”.
Andy Prendergast, GMB’s national secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “Unfortunately, this was a predictable problem. This was one that we warned about at the time the mass redundancies were made.
“We asked the government to consider the aviation industry as a special case and they refused. And now, to be honest, for Grant Shaps to come out, as he has done in the last 24 hours, is a bit insincere, given that these issues have been on the radar for a long time.
Attendees at Wednesday’s meeting with Shapps included British Airways, easyJet and Tui – all of which were canceled – while airports represented included Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Luton and Newcastle.
The transport ministry said the government and the aviation industry would form a working group before the summer holidays to “work together on issues of common interest”.
Cirium data show that 377 flights from airports in the United Kingdom were canceled for the seven days before and including Tuesday.
The interruption in air traffic was reduced by Thursday, with Heathrow’s queues claimed to be a quarter of the length a few days ago.
However, half-time holidaymakers have been warned to expect problems traveling on the roads as the four-day holiday begins.
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More than 19 million drivers are expected to hit the roads during the platinum anniversary weekend, according to a study by AA.
Andy Marchant, a traffic expert at TomTom’s technology company, said drivers can expect high levels of congestion as people travel the roads amid celebrations in the 1970s on the Queen’s throne.
London police have warned that roads in the capital will be closed from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon due to the participation of royalty in the Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Meanwhile, jubilee street parties, most of which are expected to take place on Sunday, will close many routes.
Eurostar, which also suffered severe delays this week, warned on Thursday morning that customers could expect further disruption following a death on the tracks in northern France.
In a statement on social media, the railway operator wrote: “Please arrive at the station at the time indicated on your ticket. If you miss your further contact, please talk to a member of our staff. We apologize for the impact this may have on your plans. ”
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