A British Airways flight
(Picture: PA Archive)British Airways has extended its cancellation of flights to popular Far East travel destinations in a new summer holidays blow.
The flagship carrier told customers that it would be extending its suspension of flights to Tokyo and Hong Kong throughout its summer season with plans to reinstate them around September.
Flights from Heathrow to Miami will be cut from two to one a day from June 4 until at least September 7, customers were also told.
However, a BA spokesperson said this would not result in a loss of overall flights on the Miami route, as the others would be picked up by its partner airline, American Airlines.
Hong Kong and Tokyo were removed from the flight log due to entry restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic.
The carrier was forced to cancel 112 flights to popular European and Mediterranean destinations on Wednesday, putting a spanner in the travel plans of around 10,000 passengers, reported the Telegraph.
Some 96 flights were previously axed on Tuesday.
Travel experts have attributed staff shortages, which have caused flight cancellations, to Covid and problems with recruiting.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told the paper: “BA is only recruiting staff who already have security passes.
“The airline’s planners obviously believe there is a maximum number of people they feel they will recruit, therefore it has to cut back on frequency now based on its expected level of recruitment.
“It is readjusting in order to give as much notice as it can before it’s inevitable that they have to cancel those flights anyway.”
A BA spokesperson told the Standard: “Like other airlines, due to the continued impact Coronavirus has on some regions around the world, we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule.”
It comes after transport chaos over the Easter holidays, when both BA and EasyJet were forced to cancel hundreds of flights over staff absences.
Flights to tourism hot spots were cancelled at Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow, while those travelling by road also faced long queues.
The CEO of Ryanair, Eddie Wilson, warned earlier this month for passengers to expect ongoing travel disruption.
“I think some of the airlines are struggling, some of the handling companies, some of the airports are struggling, but again, that’s throughout the economy,” he told Wales Online.
“We saw late last year the shortage of HGV drivers, supply chain interruptions, but I think companies could have been better prepared.”
