Yahoo Finance UK airline industry warned over more Easter travel disruption
Britain's aviation regulator has warned the aviation industry over additional Easter travel chaos as staff shortages see more airline cancellations and delays at airports.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has written to airports and airlines to express concern over the impact of staff shortages on international travel in the run-up to the holiday period.
The CAA said late-notice cancellations and "excessive" delays could hit consumer confidence as airports place blame on recruitment issues and COVID-induced absences for the disruption.
Staff absences caused by coronavirus has seen airlines including easyJet (EZJ.L) and British Airways axe hundreds of flights, with more cancellations planned.
Britain's two biggest airlines announced they were cancelling 110 flights between them, with the budget airline axing 42 and the flag carrier grounding 68 on Friday, with both blaming a shortage of staff due to COVID.
Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, stressed the importance of airlines fixing their schedules in a way that was deliverable given their available staff.
"Where capacity is unavoidably restricted," Moriarty said, planning was needed to identify problems early so pre-emptive cancellations could be made. "At at a minimum" passengers should be given notice so that they do not travel to airports unnecessarily".
COVID documentation checks and customers being unfamiliar with airport processes were also contributing to delays and longer queues, said the Airport Operators Association (AOA), which represents most UK airports.
Read more: Could UK’s rapid COVID cases ruin Easter travel plans as easyJet and BA cancel flights?
Passengers have faced chaotic scenes amid long delays and last-minute cancellations at UK's major airports in recent weeks as they struggle to meet higher demand.
Stansted airport said it is expecting 240,000 passengers during Easter weekend, compared with 8,000 during the same time period in 2021.
Meanwhile, Manchester airport, the busiest airport outside London, warned passengers to expect queues of up to 90 minutes amid staff shortages. Heathrow, Gatwick and Leeds airports also warned of long delays.
Charlie Cornish, CEO of owner Manchester Airports Group, urged departing holidaymakers in a letter to arrive three hours before their flight to avoid missing it.
Holidaymakers who were hoping to avoid travel chaos and instead opted to take the roads also face delays and long queues as thousands of lorries queue on the M20 in Kent due to delays in crossing the Channel.
Operation Brock, which aims to manage the freight traffic heading to the Port of Dover, has been in place to manage traffic since P&O ferry services were suspended at the end of March after the operator sacked 800 crew members.
Watch: Chaos in Kent as 23-mile stretch of M20 closed due to ferry shortage
The aviation industry already reeling from staff shortages and the coronavirus pandemic, has been dealt a further blow amid the invasion of Ukraine as fuel prices soar.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "There had been high hopes that the sustained period of turbulence was behind the airlines and they would now be on a smoother recovery trajectory.
"But it’s feared this latest chaos will knock confidence, at a time when airlines are really relying on the relaxation of COVID restrictions and pent-up demand to boost bookings, in the months to come."
Shares in easyJet were 1.8% higher to 528.40p, while BA-owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG.L) pushed 1.1% higher.
