The aviation industry, which was hit hard by the pandemic as countries closed their borders to stop the spread of the coronavirus, is betting on a strong recovery this summer. During the rolling stock cuts and travel restrictions imposed over the past two years, airlines lost billions in revenue and were forced to make drastic job cuts. In particular, almost 200,000 European aviation workers were laid off, according to the Independent.
The lack of staff combined with the strikes of workers demanding higher wages due to inflation have caused chaos at many European airports, with travelers facing long delays or flight cancellations and huge queues.
The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) told Reuters that a major congestion had occurred before the pandemic and is now limited to some airports. This situation is exacerbated by the delays in obtaining the security cards required for newly hired staff.
On Wednesday night (8/6), the German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiary Eurowings announced that they were canceling more than 1,000 flights in July due to lack of staff. On Thursday morning (9/6), Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris canceled a quarter of flights due to a strike by workers demanding a pay rise.
Most problems are currently recorded at British airports. In late May, EasyJet announced that it was canceling at least 200 flights during school holidays in England, affecting around 30,000 passengers, while British Airways canceled another 140. Airlines UK, the UK-based airline, told the BBC that airlines have cut about 30,000 jobs since the pandemic began. Thousands of jobs were also cut by British airports and aviation support activities, which employed another 66,000 people.
1 hour and 20 minutes fast track this morning in dublin airport. #dublinairport #chaos pic.twitter.com/BpD5YEyvEa
— Mikey Flynn (@MikeyOFloinn) June 4, 2022
Seven unions from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and Spain issued a statement in May warning that Ryanair's cabin crew in those countries could go on strike this summer if the air force company did not respond “substantially” to their demands for better working conditions.
Chaos is spreading to some of Europe's most remote aviation markets. The Scandinavian airline SAS AB , which is currently trying to pass a $ 3 billion restructuring plan, is facing a possible strike by its pilots. Nearly 1,000 pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden plan to mobilize later this month after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the airline.
Seven unions from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and Spain issued a statement in May which warned Ryanair's cabin crew in those countries could go on strike this summer if the airline did not respond “substantially” to their demands for better working conditions.
Chaos is spreading to some of Europe's most remote aviation markets. The Scandinavian airline SAS AB, which is currently trying to pass a $ 3 billion restructuring plan, is facing a possible strike by its pilots. Nearly 1,000 pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden are planning to mobilize later this month after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the airline.
Seven unions from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and Spain issued a statement in May warning that Ryanair's cabin crew in those countries could go on strike this summer if the airline did not comply. substantial response “to their demands for better working conditions.
Chaos is spreading to some of Europe's most remote aviation markets. The Scandinavian airline SAS AB, which is currently trying to pass a $ 3 billion restructuring plan, is facing a possible strike by its pilots. Nearly 1,000 pilots in Denmark, Norway and Sweden are planning to mobilize later this month after failing to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the airline.
Three cancelled flights yesterday, apparently Lufthansa's idea of "working on a solution" was to just give up after the second cancelation out of TXL, so it's rather unclear if I'll still have a return flight booked. In case anyone was wondering how my vacation is going. pic.twitter.com/EbOUCJQJHS
— Ryn Daniels (@rynchantress) July 13, 2019
Of course, experts have been warning about this for a long time. In April, in an interview with CNN , Consumer Advocate Christopher Eliot, had predicted that the chaos observed at airports in the US and the UK was a “sign of things to come”. In fact, he advises his readers not to travel to Europe in August.
“Everything is going as I expected… and I think it will get worse,” he said.”I think this is just the beginning of a crazy summer. We still have high gasoline prices, record demand for the entire system and shortages of pilots. “Airlines have not yet fully staffed their staff,” he added. and airports.
“The airlines claim they have not been given enough warning about the resumption of international travel, and they may be right,” he told CNN. However, there are some airlines and airports that do not face problems and others where there is chaos, he stressed.
Boland also suspects that things will get worse.
“It is difficult to predict, but what we do know is that we have not yet reached the peak of the travel period and there are no short-term solutions to the shortage of staff. That is why it is very difficult to see what solutions airlines can find other than canceling more flights, “he said.
European airport managers are struggling to hire staff, according to Reuters. Dublin and Heathrow airports are hiring inspectors, while Amsterdam Schiphol airport is raising staff salaries. Spain has announced the hiring of 500 extra police officers to staff passport controls at busy airports and tourist destinations, including Madrid.
For the wider industry, the big question now is whether A sector that laid off hundreds of thousands of workers at the height of the pandemic could bring them back to face the sharp rise in consumer demand. However, given the demands of the jobs offered, attracting workers will not be particularly easy.
SOURCE: CNN, BBC, Independent, Reuters, Bloomberg
