Airlines have been urged to set "deliverable" schedules after thousands of UK flights were cancelled in recent days due to staff shortages. Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Richard Moriarty warned that late-notice cancellations and excessive delays are "not just distressing for affected consumers but have the potential to impact confidence levels across the industry".
In a letter to airlines, the head of the aviation watchdog acknowledged that many companies are in the process of recruiting large numbers of staff but "it is clear that this has not always happened sufficiently quickly to cope with the increased passenger travel in recent days". He wrote: "Given the consequences for passengers of cancelled and disrupted journeys, I encourage you to do all you can to ensure that you have the necessary level of appropriately-trained and cleared staff resources in place."
It is "very important" that airlines are setting schedules "on a basis that is deliverable given available staff (including contractors), and has resilience for staff sickness, including from Covid", Mr Moriarty added.
