British holidaymakers’ dreams of an early September getaway were dashed this weekend when a minor hiccup at one of Europe’s busiest airports resulted in passengers being advised to abandon their travel plans mere hours before departure.
Gatwick Airport was the scene of chaos on Sunday as travellers became entangled in what has been described as a “nightmare” weekend for the airline industry, with “short-notice staff absence” cited as the cause of around 100 flight cancellations on that day alone. The turmoil didn’t start there; it followed hot on the heels of further tumult on Friday and Saturday, sparked by British Airways’ abrupt cancellation of 160 short-haul flights, leaving passengers fuming.
A staggering two-thirds of these last-minute Sunday cancellations affected easyJet customers, with the budget airline counting Gatwick as its primary UK airport. The fallout was severe: approximately 15,000 people were robbed of the beginning of their holidays, and airlines faced millions in financial losses during what is typically a peak profit-making period.
The disruption wasn’t limited to domestic flights; international travellers were also hit hard. Holidaymakers with return flights from destinations such as Crete, Naples, Lisbon, Faro, Paris, Geneva, and Belfast were left scrambling for alternative routes home.
Adding to the international woes, The Independent reported that long-haul services to the US suffered too, with flights destined for Tampa and Las Vegas remaining grounded, reports Birmingham Live.
In a statement clarifying the simple issue behind Sunday’s upheaval, NATS stated: “These restrictions are due to short-notice staff absence at the air traffic control tower and in addition to existing restrictions already in place due to adverse weather across UK and Europe.
“We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience and are working closely with the airport and airlines to try and keep disruption to a minimum.”
Chaotic scenes are not new to Gatwick’s passengers, with cancellations owing to staffing issues occurring previously both last year and in June this year.
An aggrieved traveller, slated to fly on Sunday night, conveyed the financial burden and vexation caused by the cancellations. In an interview with MailOnline, they said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. I’m meant to be at work tomorrow and now I might have to take an extra day’s annual leave.
“I’d already started making my way to the airport when EasyJet said the flight was delayed. I can’t get a refund on my train and I’m out of pocket more than £240 now.
“EasyJet also said there weren’t enough air traffic controllers because of illness. Then finally they cancelled the flight because of bad weather in London. The flight wasn’t due to leave until 9pm this evening and of course there was no number to call from EasyJet.
“It’s not like the thunderstorms were a surprise, it’s just so annoying. If they made it easy to sort an alternative it would be better but now I’ve had to shell out another £130 to get a flight from a different airport tomorrow evening.”
An easyJet spokesperson commented: “Nats air-traffic control staffing shortages at Gatwick led to a significantly reduced flow rate being imposed on all airlines today which is resulting in flights to and from Gatwick airport being subject to disruption including some cancellations.
“We are extremely disappointed that customers are once again being impacted by this and while this is outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
“We are doing all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption and have notified those on cancelled flights of their options to rebook or receive a refund and are providing hotel accommodation and meals where required.”
