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New data reveals that flight disruption has become a recurring issue in post-pandemic UK travel. The aviation industry has struggled to maintain consistent performance since the resumption of mass travel.
Financial Times analysis of figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows that approximately 32% of flights departing from UK airports were either cancelled or delayed in the first five months of the year. This figure surpasses the levels seen in the two years preceding the pandemic, which stood at 25% and 22% in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The analysis encompasses flights from 26 airports monitored by the aviation sector regulator.
While the scale of disruption is not as significant as last summer, when staff shortages led to over 50% of flights being cancelled or delayed, the data reflects a persistently high level of disruption as the industry recovers.
This trend is observed across terminals nationwide. Delays and cancellations in the first five months of 2022 and 2023 exceeded those in 2019 at each of the UK’s eight largest airports.
Furthermore, delays have persisted despite the number of departures still being below 2019 levels. In May, the CAA recorded 78,149 scheduled flights departing from UK airports, compared to 90,452 during the same period in 2019.
Last year, airlines and airports encountered staffing issues as the industry struggled to recover from travel restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.
This resulted in significant disruption, including tens of thousands of flight cancellations and passenger capacity limits imposed by airports as they regained control of their operations.
While shortages of personnel have largely been resolved, the industry has faced new challenges beyond its control this year.
According to aviation executives, the biggest problem has been air traffic control delays. About a fifth of European airspace has been closed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to congestion that affects Western Europe.
This issue is not unique to the UK, as air traffic control agencies in Europe have also experienced staff shortages. Furthermore, repeated strikes by controllers, particularly in France, have exacerbated the situation, as well as adverse weather conditions causing flight backlogs.
AirlinesUK, a sector body representing carriers, has stated that airlines and airports have made significant efforts to enhance operational resilience since the pandemic. However, it acknowledges that the industry is facing disruptions largely beyond its control and is doing everything it can to minimize them.
“I think the environment that we are operating in Europe is very difficult,” said Luis Gallego, CEO of British Airways owner IAG, during a recent earnings call.
Carl Gillen, senior vice-president of ground operations at Norwegian Airlines, which operates flights to London’s Gatwick airport, mentioned that while most companies
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