UK says it will work with aviation industry to solve travel chaos
British transport minister Grant Shapps said on Sunday (June 5) that the government would work hard with the aviation industry to avoid a repeat of the chaos at airports last week as passengers faced lengthy delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights.
Airports across Europe have struggled to cope with a post-pandemic rebound in demand, but British airports have been particularly hit by major disruption over the past week. Schools were on a half-term break and the country also had a long public holiday weekend to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne.
Shapps, who said earlier in the week that airlines should stop selling tickets for flights they could not staff, said the industry had to sort out the problem.
“The industry itself needs to solve it,” he told BBC TV. “The government doesn’t run airports, it doesn’t run the airlines. The industry needs to do that.”
Airlines had hoped for a bumper summer for passengers after two years of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
But they have struggled to recruit staff after the turmoil of the pandemic, and complain that it is taking longer to recruit new employees and vet them for security clearance.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Shapps said staff cuts during the pandemic had gone too deep.
“We’ll work with the industry very hard ... to make sure we don’t see a repeat of those scenes,” he said.
A change in the law was making it easier to deal with the administration needed for security clearance, he said, adding that he did not envisage a need for the army to be called in to help speed up the security checks. REUTERS
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
IEA trims 2024 oil demand growth forecast, widening gap with Opec view
US dollar slides against major currencies after CPI report
China says 'bullying' tariff hike shows some in US are 'losing their minds'
US retail sales unexpectedly flat in April
US consumer prices rise less than expected in April; core CPI slows
‘‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’’ China trolls new US tariffs