Airline passengers faced new disruptions on Thursday after an IT problem forced easyJet to cancel about 200 flights across Europe.
The airline has cut off a flow of flights that are scheduled to depart between 13:00 and 15:00, affecting dozens of flights to and from UK airports, including its largest base in Gatwick.
EasyJet, Britain’s largest airline by number of passengers, said it had fixed the problem by mid-afternoon, but there were delays on other flights. The cause of the problem was not immediately known.
Passengers in Manchester, Luton and Bristol were among the tens of thousands affected.
An easyJet spokesman said: “Previous problems with IT systems have been fixed. Unfortunately, they led to some cancellations earlier today, and although we expect to operate most of our remaining flight program, some may still be subject to some interruptions in the coming hours.
“We advise customers who need to travel with us to continue checking Flight Tracker for the status of their flight before going to the airport. We apologize for the inconvenience. “
The problems at easyJet are the latest to affect the aviation industry, which is struggling to cope with rising travel demand after restrictions were lifted at the end of the pandemic.
EasyJet was forced to cancel hundreds of flights last month due to staff illness as the coronavirus continued to affect airlines and airports, even when passengers were allowed to enter the UK without restrictions.
British Airways has also decided to preventively cancel about 100 flights a day by the end of October to ensure that it can meet its schedule effectively.
Long queues continue at Easter airports, with Manchester in particular seeing chaotic scenes and delays due to a lack of staff in key roles.
Airports hire thousands more to work in security and ground handling jobs, but many employees were either fired or chose to leave when Covid’s restrictions effectively halted most travel abroad. Recruits have to go through training and sometimes lengthy checks before joining.
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The latest issue came on a day when the government promised to strengthen passengers’ rights to canceled or delayed flights. A new air passenger charter will be launched this year as part of an aviation strategy published by the Ministry of Transport entitled Fit to Fly.
He vowed to support airlines in the recovery and also provided a possible olive branch to Heathrow, who was left to wage his own court battle to maintain official government policy in support of his third runway after opponents won judicial control.
The strategy, launched in Heathrow on Thursday by Aviation Secretary Robert Corts, said the government would “support capacity growth at airports where it is justified” as part of a 10-point plan to support the wider industry.
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