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Bloomberg
London Gatwick airport said it will end capacity caps this month, bringing some relief to travelers as schedule reductions at the UK capital’s larger Heathrow hub continue through the winter season.
Gatwick, controlled by French builder Vinci SA, has hired 400 security staff to help resolve a labour crunch while delegating other workers to address shortages at airport firms including airline baggage handlers, it said.
“With additional resources across the Gatwick operation in place no further moderation of flying programs is necessary,†the airport said in a statement, while upgrading its full-year passenger estimate to 32.8 million. The end to curbs provides a boost for low-cost giant EasyJet Plc, the hub’s biggest airline.
The normalisation of operations at Gatwick comes after Heathrow extended limits on departing passengers through October, the end of the summer season, citing a prolonged hiring crisis at ground-handling firms.
Gatwick was one of the first airports to limit capacity in spring as travel rebounded from the Covid pandemic, with hours-long queues for security and numerous last-minute cancellations.
In June, the airport announced caps on departing flights during the peak summer travel season that were about 20% below usual levels to ensure “a more reliable and better standard of service.â€
While airlines across Europe have struggled for staff, British Airways has been among the hardest hit after dismissing 10,000 workers at the peak of coronavirus lockdowns. The unit of IAG SA was forced to offer some employees an effective 13% raise to head off a threatened strike.
Shares of EasyJet traded 1.4% higher in London. IAG was priced up 0.6% after closing 4.5% lower following initial reports of its schedule cuts.
BA extends cuts, scraps 8% of ‘flights’
Bloomberg
British Airways will scrap about 5,000 round-trip flights this winter after cancelling about 13% of its schedule this summer due to a staffing shortage and extended curbs on capacity at its London Heathrow hub.
The carrier, owned by IAG SA, said it was adjusting its winter schedule including consolidating some of its short-haul flights to destinations with multiple services. The cuts amount to about 8% of the timetable for the period.
BA will also cancel 629 round trips through October 29 after Heathrow extended its 100,000 passenger-a-day cap to rein in chaos that the airport operator said was due to ground-handling firms having insufficient staff.
BA said that customers affected by the changes can opt for alternative flights with the carrier or another airline or seek a refund.