Gatwick forced to cap flights due to air traffic control staff shortages
Ilaria Grasso MacolaGatwick has been forced to cap flight night numbers after 30% of the airport’s air traffic control (ATC) staff came down with short-term sickness, including Covid, resulting in dozens of cancellations this week.
The Sussex airport has capped daily aircraft movements at around 800 until Sunday (1 October) to avoid last-minute delays and cancellations. There were 800 movements scheduled for Tuesday, 829 on Wednesday, 840 on Thursday, 865 on Friday, 800 on Saturday and 830 on Sunday.
“This has been a difficult decision but the action we have taken today means our airlines can fly reliable flight programmes, which gives passengers more certainty that they will not face last minute cancellations,” said Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate.
Wingate said Gatwick was working closely with National Air Traffic Service (Nats) to build resilience in the control tower. “Our operational resilience in the tower will improve as our staff return to work and we move out of the summer schedule, which is particularly busy at Gatwick.
“We will continue to recruit and train air traffic controllers at Gatwick as fast as possible to ensure we return to a fully resilient operation as soon as we can.”
As the airport’s biggest operator, easyJet is expected to be hit hardest, followed by the likes of British Airways and Ryanair.
“While it is regrettable that a temporary limit on capacity at Gatwick Airport is required, we believe it is the right action by the airport so on-the-day cancellations and delays can be avoided,” said easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren.
Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said that even though the measures were causing “less misery for passengers”, the situation was “pretty miserable nonetheless”.
Her comments were echoed by consumer champion Which?, with Which? Travel editor Rory Boland calling for prime minister Rishi Sunak to give the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stronger enforcement powers to help end what he described as a "cycle of miserable passenger experiences".
Boland’s remarks come just a day after aviation minister Baroness Vere on Monday (25 September) said the government was “fully committed” to giving the aviation watchdog civil sanction powers.
TTG has approached Ryanair and British Airways for comment on the disruption at Gatwick.
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