EasyJet has announced plans to cut more flights over the busy summer period, as it apologised to customers for failing to “deliver the service they have come to expect from us”.
The airline has blamed issues such as staff shortages in ground handling and at airports, as well as air traffic control delays for increased turnaround times, delayed flights and cancellations.
It is among a number of airlines grappling with the same problems as the industry struggles to move into the peak season after two years of coronavirus pandemic-related turbulence.
A number of flights will be cancelled into and out of Gatwick in response to the airport’s announcement last week that it would introduce flight caps in the coming few months to help it cope with a staff shortage.
It is thought this could mean the cancellation of up to 10,000 of 160,000 flights on sale for July, August and September, although EasyJet’s chief executive Johan Lundgren said the airline had not decided how many cancellations there might be during those months.
AdvertisementA similar system of flight caps has also been introduced by Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
The airline said: “In response to these caps and in order to build additional resilience, easyJet is proactively consolidating a number of flights across affected airports.
More from Business“This provides customers with advance notice and the potential to rebook on to alternative flights.”
The majority of passengers are expected to be rebooked on flights the same day, it added.
2:01 Advice on cancelled flights: Don’t take a refundMr Lundgren said the airline was not struggling to recruit people. Instead the struggle is getting security clearance for new employees, adding that ID clearance is taking 14 weeks, compared to 10 weeks previously.
He said Brexit, which ended the ability of Europeans to move freely to the UK to work, was also having an impact.
Mr Lundgren added: “Delivering a safe and reliable operation for our customers in this challenging environment is easyJet’s highest priority and we are sorry that for some customers we have not been able to deliver the service they have come to expect from us.
“While in recent weeks the action we have taken to build in further resilience has seen us continue to operate up to 1,700 flights and carry up to a quarter of a million customers a day, the ongoing challenging operating environment has unfortunately continued to have an impact which has resulted in cancellations.”
In the financial quarter ending 30 June, easyJet said it plans to have operated 140,000 flights, carrying 22 million passengers.
This means capacity will be 550% of what it was during the same period last year, when the industry globally was still affected by coronavirus restrictions.
Read more:Gatwick cuts summer flights as Heathrow boss warns it could take 18 months to fix staffing issuesWhy is there travel chaos at UK airports and how long could it go on for?
The airline said that the number of passengers being carried in April and May was seven times the number seen during the same months last year.
Capacity in the quarter ending 30 June is expected to be around 87% of the level seen in 2019 – the most recent year of normal travel conditions – with the quarter ending 30 September expected to be around 90%.
Last month it had said it expected to operate at 90% of 2019 capacity this quarter and around 97% in the fourth quarter.
It added: “We believe that these capacity/cost impacts are a one-off this summer as we would expect all parties to build greater resilience in time for 2023 peak periods.”
Responding to easyJet’s announcement on summer flight cancellations, Rory Boland, editor of consumer magazine Which? Travel, said: “EasyJet has caused chaos and distress for passengers over several weeks with a constant stream of last-minute cancellations.
“While reducing the number of flights it operates may be the most sensible option in delivering a more reliable service over the summer, it yet again leaves passengers panicking about whether their flight or holiday will be cancelled or delayed.
“The summer holidays are just around the corner, so easyJet must immediately provide clarity on which flights are being cut.
“Crucially, it needs to start playing by the rules and rerouting its customers, including on flights with other carriers.
“That’s the legal requirement and the very least the airline can do for customers it has left in a mess.”
EasyJet shares were down more than 2.7% in early Monday trading.