UK flight chaos continues with dozens more cancellations at Gatwick and Heathrow
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For the fourth consecutive day, thousands of UK-bound passengers faced flight cancellations due to a combination of bad weather and air traffic control staff shortages.
Around 3,500 passengers scheduled on 20 flights from London Gatwick were grounded Monday morning, most on easyJet. Affected routes included Ibiza, Naples, and Nice, with passengers citing “air-traffic control restrictions.”
On Sunday, easyJet cancelled 64 flights due to staff shortages at Gatwick’s control tower, which is managed by Nats, the UK air-navigation provider. The control tower has experienced multiple incidents of staff shortages in under a year, leading to widespread disruptions.
Despite Nats’ attempts to minimize disruption, cancellations continued into Monday, prompting Ryanair to call for the resignation of Nats’ CEO. Ben Bradshaw, a former Labour minister, also called for leadership changes at Gatwick, calling the situation “a complete disgrace.”
Gatwick, the world’s busiest single-runway airport, handles 800+ daily flights. A spokesperson noted a 4% increase in flights this year but admitted to ongoing disruptions.
British Airways (BA) also faced issues, cancelling 240 flights between Friday and Sunday, affecting 40,000 passengers. A BA spokesperson acknowledged the cancellations but stressed that most passengers were unaffected and apologized for the inconvenience.
