The “post-COVID” consequences will continue to feverish the aviation industry and spoil the lives of tourists right up to the beginning of 2024 – and it is quite possible that many air carriers and tour operators will fall victim to this “disease”, finally going bankrupt. We are talking about chaos at airports across Europe caused by a shortage of staff. Having first appeared in the UK, this chaos has spread throughout Europe, while the problem of staffing has already acquired a new “strain” in the form of mass discontent and strikes of the remaining staff, who are forced to work wildly. So the forecasts for the state of the aviation industry from within sound extremely pessimistic, and this applies not only to tourists from Europe, but also to travelers from other countries who want to visit the Old World: everyone will have to suffer because of these problems.
According to John Holland-Kay, chief executive of London-Heathrow Airport – the largest British air harbor, chaos at airports with large-scale cancellations and delays could last another 18 months, i.е. in fact, until the beginning of 2024, and capturing the next summer tourist season. In the summer season of the current year, the expert, apparently, has already put an end to it. “The long queues and dissatisfied passengers seen in recent weeks at airports in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain may continue beyond 2023. One of the main reasons for this problem is the lack of staffing,” the official said.
Experts note that airlines and tour operators will have to pay financially for canceled flights and programs. Recall that many flights were removed, for example, by the British TUI, which caused massive outrage among tourists and legislators. As a result, airlines and tour operators will have to pay compensation to tourists, and the authorities of the same Britain want only to tighten the amount of such penalties.
At the same time, the remaining personnel in the aviation industry are “wearing out”, and it is not surprising that strikes exacerbated the problem of flight delays almost immediately. Foreign media list the following examples:
- Dozens of flights from the UK have been canceled due to traffic control strikes at Italian airports.
- In France, a quarter of morning flights were canceled due to a strike by employees of the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. We are talking about a quarter of all flights between 07:00 and 14:00. Striking workers demand a €300 wage increase in response to inflation.
- Belgian carrier Brussels Airlines decided to reduce the number of flights in the summer after the threat of a strike from the trade unions, with workers threatening to strike during the summer season. The reason is problems with irregular working hours, workload and wages. Following this warning, Brussels Airlines announced that it has canceled 148 flights across Europe to ease the workload of employees during the summer period. Brussels Airlines pilots also warned they could go on strike for 3 days at the end of June. They recalled that their wages were reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, they want their working conditions and wages to be improved.
- Things are also not so smooth in the Netherlands: Royal Dutch Airlines ground handlers KLM has announced that they have canceled almost 50 daily flights.
Recall also the forecasts of the pilot of the British airline British Airways. He also does not expect that the situation in the aviation industry will stabilize this season. Read the details at the link.
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