Staff shortage in the Gatwick control tower is being partly blamed for the cancellation of at least 70 flights to and from the Sussex airport.
Amidst one of the busiest weeks of the year for air travel, London Gatwick Airport faced significant disruptions with thousands of passengers left stranded as at least 70 flights were cancelled. The disruption was partly attributed to a staff shortage in the airport's control tower.
Throughout Monday morning, delays started to accumulate at the Sussex airport, and by mid-afternoon, the situation escalated, leading to a series of flight cancellations and diversions.
Among the affected airlines, easyJet, the largest carrier at Gatwick, had to cancel thirty flights, including two round trips to Geneva and Paris CDG. In response to mounting pressure on the airport's single runway, two easyJet flights were diverted to Stansted.
Vueling, another airline operating at Gatwick, cancelled arrivals from and departures to Bilbao, Paris, and Rome. Wizz Air and Norwegian were forced to ground four flights each.
In light of the disruptions, Gatwick airport took to Twitter, explaining that the evening's disruption was a result of last-minute staff shortages in the control tower and air traffic restrictions due to adverse weather conditions across Europe.
Following the incident, a spokesperson for Gatwick airport addressed the situation, stating that the airport operates a higher number of flights to Europe than any other airport in the UK, making it more susceptible to disproportionate disruptions arising from issues on the Continent.
The airport assured that they are working closely with their airline partners to mitigate the impact of the disruptions and offered apologies to passengers who experienced inconvenience.
Air-traffic control services at Gatwick, as well as throughout the UK, are managed by Nats. A spokesperson from Nats explained that air-traffic control restrictions were implemented the previous evening due to adverse weather conditions prevailing across Europe. Additionally, a last-minute staffing issue in the air-traffic control team at Gatwick airport also contributed to the situation. The restrictions and measures were taken to ensure the safe management of air traffic during challenging circumstances. The spokesperson extended their sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by the situation.
"This was done to ensure that traffic could continue to be managed safely. We worked closely with the airport and airlines to minimise disruption as far as possible, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience it caused."
On Tuesday, easyJet had to make a dozen more cancellations, including a round-trip to Bodrum in Turkey, with air-traffic control restrictions generally cited as the reason for grounding the flights.
Approximately 11,000 passengers were affected by the cancelled departures. According to European air passengers' rights rules, they are entitled to be rebooked to their destination as soon as possible. However, with flights typically operating at 90 per cent capacity, finding immediate alternatives is challenging.
Even though the airlines were not responsible for the disruptions, they are obliged to cover the costs of hotel accommodation and meals for stranded passengers.
These figures do not include the flights between the UK and Catania in eastern Sicily, which are currently all suspended due to a fire that has affected the airport terminal.
Although the airport has resumed operations for flights within the European Union and the wider Schengen Area, there is currently no possibility of opening the "non-Schengen" area.
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