(London) Recruitment aid and support for passengers: faced with chaos at British airports, the government announced on Thursday a plan to support an aviation sector overwhelmed by demand on the eve of the summer holidays.
Posted at 8:34
The executive seeks to “avoid a repetition” of the severe disturbances recorded in particular during the Easter holidays, or these days.
Between long queues at several airports in the country and series of flight cancellations, British air transport is struggling to absorb the recovery in demand, in particular due to a lack of manpower, after the layoffs that took place during the pandemic.
On Thursday morning, passengers denounced on Twitter the “total chaos” at Heathrow, the country’s main hub, after the cancellation of 30 flights at the morning rush hour, the airport evoking an influx of passengers greater than what it had can absorb.
The government has therefore called on companies to implement realistic flight schedules and to “alert passengers as soon as possible” in the event of disruptions, according to a press release.
It also plans to speed up the security checks carried out by the authorities before hiring staff in airlines or airports, one of the points regularly raised by the sector to explain the difficulties of recruitment.
London had already announced last week a temporary relaxation of the rules governing take-off and landing slots to allow companies to adapt their flight schedules this summer without losing their rights for the following season.
While Brexit has reduced the possibilities of hiring European staff, the British government assures on the other hand that more immigration would not be a solution, because the problems “concern (also) in the EU and the United States” .
As social unrest grows across the country over inflation, British Airways ground staff at Heathrow recently announced a pay strike planned for this summer.