Airlines have been urged to review their summer timetables to ensure they are "deliverable". The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority stated that earlier cancellations are "better" than axing flights on the day of departure.
They issued a joint letter to the aviation industry calling on companies to take "all possible steps" to "avoid the unacceptable scenes we have recently witnessed". Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected by flight cancellations and long queues at airports in recent months, particularly during Easter and last month's half-term school holiday.
The disruption has been blamed on aviation firms struggling to recruit enough staff to cope with the spike in demand for travel, after thousands of jobs were cut in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rannia Leontaridi, director general for aviation at the Department for Transport and CAA boss Richard Moriarty set out five "specific expectations" for the sector in their letter.
