The long-awaited post-blocking travel boom has forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights prior to the peak summer months, as the European aviation industry struggles to overcome serious staff shortages and labor disputes. Therefore, it is rapidly collapsing for vacationers.
eutsche Lufthansa AG joined other airlines this week and adjusted the schedule as German airlines do not have staff to meet demand. Lufthansa abandoned about 900 flights in July, 5% of its regular weekend capacity, an obstacle to airlines all struggling to maintain operations, from Air France-KLM to Ryanair Holdings Plc to British Airways. I am participating in.
The chaotic scene at airports from Ireland to Germany and Turkey represents a major setback for the industry, which has been particularly hard hit in the last two years of the pandemic. Airlines have lost billions of dollars in revenue overall, and some airlines have been forced to significantly reduce headcount and government bailouts. In addition to the turmoil, there are strikes that dominate the travel sector, and corporate leaders are wary of surrendering to higher wage demand despite rising inflation.
At an air conference in Paris this week, EasyJet Plc CEO Johan Lundgren said, “What is summer waiting for us and how to deal with it? I have to see. ” “We need to be together and do our best.”
European hubs such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris have also been plagued by delays and strikes, but the turmoil was particularly severe in the United Kingdom. Overseas hub airports have also been hit. At Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s busiest airport, flights have been canceled due to a surge in waiting times due to labor shortages.
Air France-KLM was forced to cancel 85 flights in a day due to a strike at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, many times more due to a strike at Skipol due to a strike at Skipole. It also became. The scene of angry vacationers stuck on long airport routes or unable to return home due to abrupt flight cancellations looks to the coming summer holiday season as an opportunity to benefit from the surge in consumer demand. It represents a major setback for the sector in which it is located.
Last week’s Platinum Jubilee celebration caused the worst bottleneck, causing a spill of vacation seekers and testing the airport’s arrival processing capacity. Ryanair turned to British personnel for help in dealing with the turmoil. Gatwick and Manchester airports were the worst hit by flight cancellations over long weekends.
The RMT union has said it plans to take three days off for 50,000 railroad workers later this month after failing to reach a wage agreement with its employer, further turmoil for travelers. .. The group said the strike will take place on June 21, 23 and 25.
Ryanair’s cabin crew may strike in several European countries this summer. On Thursday, the continent’s largest low-cost carrier will be tableed by airlines in collaboration with workers’ organizations in Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal.
The turmoil also extends to some of Europe’s farther aviation markets. Scandinavian airline SASAB is currently planning a $ 3 billion restructuring plan, but is also facing the possibility of a pilot strike. About 1,000 pilots from Denmark, Norway and Sweden are planning to leave their jobs later this month because they couldn’t reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the airline, a local trade union said Thursday.
For the broader industry, the big question now is whether the sector, which has given up hundreds of thousands of workers during the heyday of the pandemic, can regain them to cope with the surge in consumer demand. Given the demand for jobs offered, it will not always be easy to attract talent, Olivier Jankoveck, head of the airport lobby, told ACI Europe.
“People aren’t too attracted to some of the work we offer, especially in security and ground handling,” said Jankovec. “Wages are no longer attractive enough because working conditions are their current situation and people have to work on shifts or on weekends.”
Many who leave the industry and find jobs elsewhere do not rush back. A recent job fair hosted by a major airport wanted to attract 800 candidates. There were only four, Jankoveck said.
Ticket sales are skyrocketing, but airline executives are worried about what this means for the airport and how it can handle the influx of travelers. Among them is Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM. He had little reason to rejoice in selling tickets close to the record booked by the airline on recent business days.
“We are very worried if the airport is ready,” he said.
