Due to staff shortages in air traffic control caused by COVID-19, Gatwick Airport has reduced daily flights for the rest of the month of September.
This is the third time this month that air traffic control at the airport has slowed down, with easyJet being the most negatively impacted carrier. As a result, tens of thousands of travellers will experience delays, cancellations, or airport diversions.
The number of takeoffs and landings each day for airlines
has been reduced from the anticipated 840 on Thursday, 865 on Friday, and 830 on
Sunday to 800, a decrease of around 40 flights.
Gatwick's
chief executive, Stewart Wingate, stated, “This has been a difficult decision
but the action we have taken today means our airlines can fly reliable flight
programmes, which gives passengers more certainty that they will not face
last-minute cancellations.
“We are
working closely with Nats to build resilience in the control tower, and this
decision means we can prevent as many disruptions as possible. London Gatwick
would like to apologise to any passengers impacted by these
restrictions.”
A consultant psychiatrist from Angus named Daniel Wilkes has
a reservation for the 7.15 p.m. flight from Gatwick to Edinburgh. At 8:40 p.m.,
it was cancelled.
“I just can’t
believe the lack of contingency planning from Nats for staff sickness and that
this is happening again.
“Plus, airports and airlines have had quite a while to firm up their processes for cancellations, and yet always the poorly managed scrum ensues. Bizarrely, we were made to exit through border control. I didn’t even have my passport as it was a domestic flight,” he stated.
Share this:
Post a Comment