Normalcy returned to London Gatwick Airport on Friday after cancellation, diversion, and delayed flights due to staff shortages.
The airport experienced a sudden staff shortage on Thursday which caused 42 flights to be canceled or rerouted to Cardiff and Brussels. But the airport is said to be operating regularly now, according to a later confirmation from Gatwick authorities.
According to
a statement released, "The tower is fully
staffed and the airport is operating as normal today."
Following reports of "manic" queues created
overnight due to Gatwick flight cancellations, Stanstead and EasyJet both
stated that they were functioning regularly on Friday morning. However, after
the most recent setback on Thursday, Stanstead's CEO asserts that National Air
Traffic Services, a provider of air traffic control, has "let down
customers all summer."
On Thursday and through the night, approximately 6,000
travelers are anticipated to be impacted by cancellations; some have reported
delays of up to five or six hours. Others are told they can still board the
flight from Gatwick, while some customers have been instructed to take a coach
to Stansted, Essex. A Dublin-born salesperson is unsure of her ability to get
home tonight. Since last summer, the business has hired more air traffic
controllers, growing its presence by 17%. After they finish their training,
others are anticipated to begin.
A technical issue with air traffic control over two weeks ago resulted in significant disruption at UK airports and left hundreds of vacationers stranded abroad. Due to plane and crew misalignment, over 25% of flights were canceled, resulting in a total of 250,000 passengers being affected. The cancellations persisted for an additional two days.
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