As the summer goes on and travellers across Europe start to plan their travels and vacations, the airports at several select destinations are bracing for unforeseen travel loads. The airlines, as well as the airport authorities, are fighting to manage potential traffic. The port and airport authorities have warned the travellers about possible delays in their plans of travel; meanwhile, airlines are cancelling flights to prominent and critical destinations, much to the discomfort of travellers.
A very public tiff between the Heathrow airport and the Dubai-based airline Emirates brought the issue of cancellations and delays to the attention of the authorities. Allegedly, the airport operator was forcing the airline to cut down on its capacity so that the airport would have an easier time handling the heavy traffic.
When the Covid-19 pandemic set upon the world two years ago, the aviation industry suffered harshly in the aftermath of a worldwide disaster. With restricted movement and few chances for travel, the airport and airline authorities had to lay off some of their staff to manage costs as the flight needed to remain grounded for a long time.
However, with the Covid slowly receding, the world is regaining its rhythm, and people are beginning to travel again. The rehire of staff and personnel was not in line with the rapidly growing traffic. Additionally, several airport staff and security personnel in European Airports have gone on strike, hoping for better pay and working conditions. Consequently, this has led to severe labour shortages and mismanagement of staff.
Issues of this kind have emerged in some top airport circuits like Heathrow in London, Amsterdam’s Schiphol and such; the most visible of the problems is the delayed loading of baggage. As a result of the labour shortage, passenger luggage is sometimes not loaded into aircraft on time, and several flights depart without carrying their passengers’ luggage. In addition, airports are also witnessing long queues on the airports, causing passengers to miss their flights.
