Flight disruption continues with 150 cancellations

Holidaymakers continue to face disruption at airports as more than 150 flights were canceled on Wednesday.

Airlines such as EasyJet and Tui were among the cancellations, although most customers were informed in advance.

There were also long queues at the terminals before the anniversary weekend.

The Transport Secretary said airlines and operators struggling with staff shortages had “seriously oversold flights and holidays”.

EasyJet has canceled at least 31 flights at Gatwick to destinations including Bologna, Barcelona, ​​Prague, Krakow and Edinburgh.

Last week, the airline said around 24 flights a day would be canceled from the airport between May 28 and June 6.

Tui Airways also continues to cancel six daily flights at Manchester Airport, accounting for a quarter of its schedule and affecting around 34,000 travellers.

Most customers would have been informed of cancellations in advance, but some affected told the BBC they had not been contacted by Tui.

British Airways has canceled 124 short-haul flights at Heathrow, although the airline said these were pre-planned and passengers were informed in advance.

Airlines UK, which represents the UK’s major airlines, said the “vast majority” of flights are operating on schedule.

Mr Shapps said the Government had been clear it was up to industry leaders to address the travel disruption, which could also be seen at Easter.

The transport secretary said he would meet with airports, airlines and ground handlers to “find out what went wrong and how they plan to end the current series of cancellations and delays”.

“Despite government warnings, operators have grossly oversold flights and holidays relative to their delivery capacity. This must not happen again and all efforts should be directed towards ensuring that this does not happen again in summer – the first post-Covid summer season,” he added.

Up to two million people are preparing to fly over the next few days, with the anniversary holiday coinciding with halftime.

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