More than 1,140 flights have been canceled in Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham since the long-awaited school holidays began – with EasyJet and British Airways cutting 60 and 98 flights, respectively, overnight. The unprecedented bedlam has been blamed mainly on “staff shortages and recruitment challenges”, and a sudden increase in passenger numbers – both caused by Covid and the curbs that have been in place for most of the past two years.
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Email [email protected] or [email protected] Yesterday, Karen Smart was forced to resign as CEO of the Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports, after just two years in office. The airport administration was to meet with political leaders and unions to discuss the current situation, after Blackley and Broton MP Graham Stringer furiously challenged the Manchester administration to “catch up or leave”. And unions warn that the massacre will continue throughout the summer due to delays in carrying out counterterrorism checks required for new airport staff, with some saying it takes 30 weeks instead of the usual 14 to 15, while WFH civil servants . In a statement, MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said: “For the past two years, Karen has guided Manchester Airport through the most difficult period of its 84-year history, making a significant contribution to MAG throughout its existence. in business. “I’m sorry to lose Karen after years of valuable service, but I understand her desire to return to the South for family reasons and even to explore new career opportunities. “While it is certain that there will be further challenges ahead, I am confident that we will soon begin to see the benefits of the recovery plans that Karen has helped implement and look forward to working with Ian and his leadership team to advance them.” Yesterday, passengers in Manchester were spotted jumping over obstacles and abandoning their luggage in a desperate attempt to make their flights, according to Nicky Kelvin, head of travel site Points Guy UK. In Heathrow, meanwhile, a male passenger in his 30s collapsed in line as staff shortages left people waiting four hours to clear their passports. Travelers face chaos at Britain’s busiest airports, such as Heathrow (pictured), Gatwick and Manchester More than 1,140 flights have been canceled at several major airports, including Manchester (photo) The unprecedented bedlam is mainly blamed for “staff shortages and recruitment challenges” (Gatwick photo) Manchester, the UK’s third busiest airport, has plunged into chaos in recent weeks Karen Smart has resigned as chief executive of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports, after just two years in office, the company confirmed this afternoon.
EasyJet cancels more than 220 flights due to Covid staff shortages to leave some passengers stranded at the airport
EasyJet has canceled more than 220 flights, blaming the interruption on high levels of staff illness due to Covid. At least 222 flights have been canceled since Friday, including 62 scheduled for Monday alone, most of which were canceled shortly on Saturday. Covid infection rates are some of the highest since the onset of the pandemic. An EasyJet spokesman said yesterday: “As a result of the current high rates of Covid infections across Europe, like all businesses, EasyJet is experiencing higher-than-usual levels of employee illness. “We have taken steps to mitigate this by setting up an additional waiting crew this weekend, however, with the current level of illness, we have also decided to make some cancellations in advance.” They said they focused on “unifying flights where we have multiple frequencies, so that customers have more options to book their trip again, often on the same day”. They added: “Unfortunately, some additional cancellations had to be made for today and tomorrow. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to customers on affected flights. “We have made 62 precautionary cancellations of flights to and from the UK for tomorrow, which represents a small percentage of tomorrow’s total flight schedule which was scheduled to be more than 1645 flights. “We canceled most of them yesterday.” Eyewitness Jessica Oliver told MailOnline: “I just passed by and she was on the floor. There were people who helped him – I do not know if it was dehydration or very low blood sugar, but it is very hot and the staff is handing out bottles of water. “It was also chaotic in Amsterdam, but I have never seen anything like it.” The man’s current condition is unknown and Heathrow Airport has been contacted for information. Travelers also took to social media to share photos of huge queues lasting up to four hours, with one person writing: “Chaos at Heathrow Airport Arrivals. Some have been standing here for the last four hours and the queues are not moving. What causes the disorder? Another passenger added: “Three hours plus clearing migrations are waiting at Terminal 3 for less than two hours of European flight !! Still nowhere near. Nobody gives any information! “ And while sitting at Terminal 5 in Heathrow, Hannah Swales told MailOnline about the “symbolic” return flight from Dubai. He said: “We were three hours late from Dubai and then we had to book again for the ‘next available flight’. “We had to stay at Heathrow Airport without luggage and without access to medicines in our luggage.” Paul Charles, managing director of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “Airlines certainly see a high level of demand for flights, but simply can not meet this demand due to lack of resources. “It’s a nightmare for airlines and airports right now.” Martin Schalk, general secretary of the Balpa pilots’ union, also told The Telegraph: “The chaos at British airports could very well be repeated all summer long because the debt-laden airlines have not yet recruited enough staff.” The increase in bookings exceeds the number of airline staff hired, which is further exacerbated by security checks. An industry source further blamed the inspection process, saying it could take up to six months before someone could come and do some work at an airport. However, a spokesman for the Ministry of Transport (DfT) said that “the aviation industry is responsible for providing funding for airports”, adding: Easter. “The requirement for Counter-Terrorism Controls for aviation security personnel is important for the protection of the traveling public and the government continues to process these security clearances in a timely manner.” There were also reports of travel chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Monday, as well as long delays in Dover and a train blockage in the Channel Tunnel. Heathrow warned passengers of possible delays, writing on Twitter: “We continue to advise passengers to arrive 3 hours before their scheduled departure time, as we can not estimate waiting times before travel because they are affected by a significant range. factors “. Long queues were also reported in Birmingham from 7.45am yesterday morning, with one passenger warning others to “get here early”. Another traveler, Luca Beckett, said she was “trapped” on a plane for 40 minutes on Sunday due to lack of staff. He told Birmingham Live: “We were supposed to be home around 10pm, but we came in sometime after midnight. “It was horrible.” This follows a week of massive unrest with more than 1,100 flights being canceled across the UK. In the week to April 3, a total of 1,143 flights to and from the United Kingdom were canceled compared to just 197 flights canceled in the same week in 2019. The massacre is set to continue through the summer due to delays in carrying out counter-terrorism checks required for new airport staff, with some saying it takes 30 weeks instead of the usual 14 to 15 while civil servants work from home. In the photo: passengers in line at Heathrow this afternoon Passengers line up early Tuesday for safety at Manchester Airport Terminal 1 as travel chaos continues at airports and ports as the Easter holidays begin. Long queues appeared yesterday as passengers arrived at Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport for the start of their Easter holidays. The latest figures show that British Airways canceled 662 flights while easyJet canceled 357 last week, according to data from Cirium, which conducts aviation analysis. However, some of these kits are based on historical cancellations and flights were canceled months ago. Pictures left and right: Huge queues for security at Manchester Airport
Eurotunnel passengers face three-hour delays after train closure in Channel Tunnel
Eurotunnel passengers are facing a three-hour delay on Monday morning due to a train stop in the Channel Tunnel. The Eurotunnel – the rail tunnel that connects Folkestone with Coquelles down the English Channel – reports a three-hour delay in services. The travel company, which is separate from the passenger-only Eurostar service, said it was due to a train that stopped in the tunnel. “Due to a temporary train interruption in the tunnel, our service is currently experiencing delays. Please check in as scheduled. “I apologize for that,” Eurotunnel wrote on Twitter. Eurostar passenger service, which runs trains between London St Pancras and Europe, and which uses the …
