The Department of Transportation and the Civil Aviation Authority told airlines last week to review their schedules and ensure flights were deliverable, as staff shortages after the lockdown left airlines and airports unable to keep up with increase in travel as Covid restrictions lifted. EasyJet announced Monday that in response to subsequent flight ceilings at two of its largest airports, London Gatwick and Amsterdam, it was “precautionarily consolidating” a number of flights to give customers time to check their travel and an opportunity. for reservation. Flights from other airports are also likely to be affected. EasyJet said it expects most customers to be able to book alternative flights again, many of which will be the same day they originally planned to travel. “Unfortunately, the ongoing challenging operating environment has continued to have an impact, resulting in cancellations,” said easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren. “In conjunction with airport ceilings, we are taking precautionary measures to increase resilience for the rest of the summer, including a series of further flight consolidations at affected airports, notifying customers in advance and expecting an overwhelming majority for alternative flights within 24 hours. “We believe that this is the right action we need to take so that we can deliver to all our customers during the peak summer period in this demanding environment.” The cancellations will result in easyJet operating about 87% of its pre-pandemic flight capacity by June 30 and about 90% of that capacity from July to September, the company said. Subscribe to the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk Last month, the airline said it expected to utilize 90% of pre-pandemic flight capacity this quarter and 97% from July to September. This is despite the increase in demand, with the number of travelers in April and May of this year having increased seven times the level in 2021. Shares of EasyJet fell 3.5% on Monday morning.
