Gatwick Airport: Which flights are being cancelled this summer? Why flights are being cut in July & August

Gatwick has axed multiple flights as we head into the busiest period of the year in the industry, amid reports it could take up to 18 months to rectify staffing issues.

Multiple UK airports experienced difficulties in the week leading up to and the week of the recent half-term holidays, which coincided with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Gatwick is the UK’s second busiest airport, and with more or less all travel restrictions being lifted in 2022, is feeling the pressure after a surge in passengers.

Huge queues have also been a major problem for most airports up and down the country, with London being home to some of the worst hit.

Which flights are going to be cancelled?

With the announcement still fresh, the airport is yet to announce which flights are going to be axed due to the reduced schedule, but confirmed that the vast majority of flights over the summer will operate as planned.

With July and August being known as the busiest time for the airport, Gatwick has announced it is planning to limit daily flights to 825 in July and 850 in August, which is a slight decrease from the reported 900 daily flights during the same period.

Staffing shortages have also been a key factor in the decision, and a big driving force behind the recent chaos.

Despite the flights that are set to be cancelled not being announced, passengers affected

Why are flights being cancelled?

Flights are being cancelled because of continuing staff shortages, which is a knock on effect from the pandemic.

It’s a problem that has plagued the entire industry for some time now, as companies in the aviation industry had to axe staff due to air travel coming to a halt. It is also believed that training staff is also a fairly lengthy process.

A Heathrow boss said: "It will take 12 to 18 months for the industry to get all of its capacity back to where it was before the pandemic, and that’s not just in the UK but across Europe as well.”

Steve Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive said: “Airlines will have to trim back their schedules somewhat”.

The airport has said that the reduction in the number of flights operating from the airport would allow airlines to manage more predictable timetables.

Gatwick also added that the cancellation of flights would allow passengers to “experience a more reliable and better standard of service”.

It is also believed less flights to and from the airport would also reduce the risk of staff becoming overwhelmed with the sheer volume of passengers.

What is the airport doing to battle the staff shortages?

Gatwick’s Chief Executive also said: "Gatwick prepared well for the restart of international travel by successfully reopening our South Terminal and we have now successfully recruited 400 new colleagues to help us process passengers quickly through security this summer.

"We are also working closely with our airlines to avoid disruption to passengers this summer, and while more newly recruited staff will start work in coming weeks, we know it will be a busy summer.”