Gatwick Airport caps flights after illnesses affect a third of ATC staff

26.09.2023 - 18:37 / thepointsguy.com / London Gatwick

London's Gatwick Airport (LGW) has been forced to cap flights at the airport until Sunday due to sickness-related staff shortages.

Around 30% of the airport's air traffic control staff is currently out of action "for a variety of medical reasons including covid," resulting in a slew of cancellations.

To avoid further disruption, the airport has imposed a strict daily flight cap, with takeoffs and landings at Gatwick reduced to 800 per day until Sunday.

It is expected that around 164 flights will be canceled during this period, with tens of thousands of passengers likely to be caught up in delays or grounded flights. This follows the cancellation of more than 40 flights over the weekend.

Unsurprisingly, EasyJet, Gatwick's largest operator, is the most severely affected airline. British Airways and Ryanair have also had to cancel flights.

This is the most recent instance of flights being thrown into disarray at Gatwick, following a major disruption last month following a technical problem at NATS, a provider of air traffic control services.

Commenting on the recent flight caps, a NATS spokesperson said: "Given the levels of sickness we have experienced over the last few weeks we believe it is the responsible thing to do to limit the number of flights this week in order to reduce the risk of daily disruption to passengers using the airport. ... with 30% of tower staff unavailable for a variety of medical reasons including covid, we cannot manage the number of flights that were originally planned for this week."

Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said: "We are working closely with NATS to build resilience in the control tower, and this decision means we can prevent as much disruptions as possible. London Gatwick would like to apologise to any passengers who have been impacted by these restrictions."

While the restrictions may be necessary to avoid last-minute disruptions, they have prompted discussions about the need for a broader review of NATS, alongside stronger enforcement powers for the Civil Aviation Authority to protect passengers from future incidents.

Gatwick has been forced to limit departing and arriving flights until Sunday.

If you're due to travel from Gatwick this week, you should check your flight status with your airline before heading to the airport.

Should your flight be canceled, the airline you are flying on should book you on the next alternative flight available, regardless of carrier. When appropriate, the airline should also provide overnight accommodation and food vouchers.

Check out this guide for more information on what to do if your flight is canceled.

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