Heathrow Airport has been worst affected by flight cancellations this week as ongoing staff shortages are amidst five key reasons causing travel chaos for Brits heading on Easter holidays.
The news comes as easyJet and British Airways have both been forced to cancel hundreds of flights in the last week, with easyJet blaming staff shortages due to Covid for the cancellations.
According to new data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, London-based Heathrow had 382 flights cancelled over the past seven days, with a further 505 flights delayed by at least an hour.
Gatwick was the second worst-hit airport with 157 cancelled flights, followed by Luton which was hit by 39 cancellations.
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While passengers at Manchester Airport have faced long queues and delays at security checks - some travellers reported waiting for four hours - the airport was just fourth in the rankings, with 36 cancellations and 169 flights delayed by over an hour. (You can check out the full top 10 below).
Following the ongoing disruption, Manchester Airport's chief stepped down
Disruption kicked off over the weekend, which led to 1,143 flights being cancelled in the space of a week according Cirium - a 480% increase based on same period pre-pandemic.
That included easyJet cancelling over 200 flights as well as British Airways facing a wave of cancellations, with disruption expected to continue through the week.
(If you're due to fly, we've got guides on how to check if your flight is cancelled as well as your refund rights if you're affected).
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, commented: "This is a staggering level of flight cancellations caused by a cocktail of not having enough staff in place and Covid-induced staff shortages. Airlines are certainly seeing a high level of demand to fly, but are simply unable to cope with that demand due to a lack of resources. It’s a nightmare situation for airlines and airports at the moment."
Due to the disruption passengers are being urged to arrive at the airport at the earliest possible time to allow for delays, while unions have warned that the disruption could last for months with staffing issues unlikely to be solved in the short-term.
Top 10 UK airports worst hit by flight cancellations
- London Heathrow Airport
- London Gatwick Airport
- London Luton Airport
- Manchester Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Glasgow International Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Aberdeen International Airport
- Belfast International Airport
- London City Airport
You can find out more on cirium.com.
Have you been affected by the delays or cancellations? Email us on webtravel@trinitymirror.com.
