BUSINESS NEWS
Airports, ground
handlers and aviation unions predict delays and cancellations to continue into summer
‘There’s no single fix to resolve aviation issues’
Staff shortages just part of a complex mix of problems, reports Ian Taylor First, there are the staff shortages
Flight cancellations and delays kept travel in the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons over the Queen’s Jubilee but have done since almost as soon as the recovery took off. The government stoked the furore
by slamming the industry for cutting too many jobs. Industry leaders hit back, pointing out the sector was seeking to recover from a two-year shutdown, received limited assistance compared to elsewhere in Europe and had minimal forewarning of restrictions lifting. Unfortunately, the delays and
cancellations are the result of a complex mix of issues which can’t easily be resolved.
48 9 JUNE 2022
caused by layoffs during the pandemic. Ground handlers are struggling to staff check-in and baggage handling. Airports have struggled to staff security. Some airlines have struggled to crew flights. British Airways cut 10,000 jobs,
easyJet 5,000. Ground handler Swissport cut 20,000, a third of its employees in the UK. Other ground handlers did similar. Many who left the industry found
work with higher pay and less unsocial hours. This part of the problem has pre- pandemic roots. Ground handler John Menzies suffered staff turnover of almost 60% before Covid. The difference
now is the labour market is so tight. A source noted: “Ground handlers
can’t raise wages because they’re under such cost pressure from the airlines.” The problems are compounded by
higher-than-normal rates of sickness. A senior aviation source reported: “Airport and airline sickness rates are running two to three times normal.” Then there is air traffic control – a
patchwork of air navigation service providers. Parts of the system are causing delays across Europe – in particular, French air traffic control which is undergoing a system upgrade.
Continued on page 46
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