Airline passengers in a queue at Heathrow
(Picture: PA Wire)Passengers are being warned of long queues at airports including Heathrow over Easter as staff shortages take their toll.
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) said many workers had switched jobs after the airline industry was devastated by the Covid pandemic. Flight numbers were drastically reduced as countries closed borders in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile ongoing problems with Covid-related staff absences are putting operations at airports under strain, the AOA warned
Karen Dee, chief executive of the AOA, which represents numerous airports including Heathrow, said at peak time passengers “may not have the experience they are used to”.
She said airports were working hard to recruit more staff in the run-up to the Easter holidays, and were “working with the UK government to resolve any delays in the necessary checks before staff can start work”.
The AOA has asked travellers to arrive early for flights due to longer check-in waits and has also urged people to make sure they have any Covid-related documents needed for their destination.
Holiday bookings jumped with trips planned for Easter after UK Covid travel tests were scrapped.
However, airports have said they are operating in a very tight labour market and are trying to keep up with rising demands following the sharp drops in people travelling abroad over the past two years.
Kevin O’Reilly, of the specialist aviation and airport recruitment company One Resourcing, said there were not enough ground staff including baggage handlers and cleaners.
He added: “A huge number of people left the aviation industry due to the pandemic and whilst many have come back, many have found alternative positions in other sectors and do not want to risk returning to work in an industry that made them redundant.
“Now there’s a bounce-back from having no people travelling, to suddenly everyone wanting travel.
“Recruitment at airports doesn’t happen overnight, people must go through a thorough security vetting process to get an airside pass.”
He said some other jobs were tempting workers away from the industry, and some EU nationals had left after Brexit.
Manchester Airport has already blamed staff shortages on long passenger queues in recent weeks, ahead of the busier Easter break.
It warned further problems were likely as the airport struggled with increasing demand after “dramatically scaling back” operations during the pandemic.
It said it would need to gear up to meet this demand, as airlines and airports did not yet have the capacity to fulfil that number of bookings.
