Gatwick reduces summer capacity to prevent repeat of jubilee chaos
Gatwick airport will reduce its summer capacity to ward off potential chaos, after dozens of last-minute cancellations wrecked the travel plans of holidaymakers over the platinum jubilee and half-term holiday.
London’s second busiest airport will limit the number of daily take-offs and landings to 850 in August – about 50 more than the average in early June, but more than 10% below its pre-pandemic maximum.
The airport is the biggest base for easyJet, which operates more than half of Gatwick slots, and the airline said it would be reviewing the details. It is likely to have to trim its summer schedules after it made hundreds of last-minute cancellations, more than any other UK carrier, in recent weeks due to multiple problems.
The move comes after the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority told the industry this week to ensure that flights on sale were “deliverable”, and called on airport chief executives to set up working groups with airlines and ground handlers to minimise the risk of summer disruption.
Gatwick said it was “temporarily moderating its rate of growth” to allow airlines to “manage more predictable and reliable flight programmes” for the summer holiday peak period.
A review by the airport found a number of companies would still have a severe lack of staff resources over summer, which could have led to airport passengers “continuing to experience an unreliable and potentially poor standard of service” – including more queues, delays and last-minute cancellations.
Ground handling companies employed by airlines to manage check-in areas, turn aircraft round on the airfield and handle baggage were understood to be the main concern.
Gatwick’s chief executive, Stewart Wingate, said there had been a
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