with the resumption of air traffic, airports are overwhelmed

The world’s main association of airlines launched an appeal on Wednesday May 4: there are too many queues at airports, queues that last for hours, not enough staff to handle passengers and baggage.

After two years disrupted by health restrictions, many employees who worked in the air industry have left to do something else. There is also absenteeism because those who stayed have sometimes seen their wages cut – the partial unemployment system does not exist everywhere – and working conditions have deteriorated. For example in the Netherlands, there were strike movements last month. All this poses serious problems. Last weekend due to the crowds due to the spring break, KLM was forced to cancel more than 70 flights departing and arriving from Amsterdam. Same congestion in London, Brussels, etc.

However, we have not found the traffic levels before Covid, we are around 60% of the traffic in 2019, before the crisis. But this is a level that we have not seen since March 2020 when all the planes were grounded. Above all, the activity picks up very quickly. In Europe, it is spectacular, 425% increase last March, compared to March 2021. However there is the invasion in Ukraine, which causes a closure of certain airspaces but also the increase in the price of tickets planes, due to the surge in oil prices. Nevertheless, travelers are there, they want to move.

Airports are rushing to recruit but it is not so simple. For example in Paris, there is a total shortage of 4,000 people on the two sites of Roissy and Orly. Control agents, maintenance technicians. Given the sensitive nature of the activity, recruitment requires precautions, checks in particular to obtain the red badge which allows you to work in closed areas of airports. There are also stories of wages with inflation, companies like Paris airports or its subcontractors face claims. The CGT has already called for demonstrations on Thursday June 9, as a warning before the summer holidays.