Airlines call on UK to ease visa rules amid mounting travel chaos

Airlines have asked the UK to relax post-Brexit immigration rules and give EU aviation workers special visas to help ease the disruption that is plaguing the travel industry as demand for flights soars. Chief executives of airlines told transport secretary Grant Shapps at a meeting on Wednesday that they could ease some of their staffing shortages by moving crew into the UK from other European bases, according to people with knowledge of the call. But Shapps warned it was unlikely the government would relax immigration rules to help the industry, which has been convulsed by delays and cancellations during one of the busiest weeks of the year. The pressure on the industry will intensify this bank holiday with nearly 2mn people hoping to fly away following a week which has seen passengers suffer widespread disruption and companies accused of selling more fights than they could operate. More than 10,500 flights with some 1.9mn seats are scheduled to depart from UK airports between Thursday and Sunday, according to data from analytics company Cirium, as the Jubilee long weekend coincides with schools’ half-terms. The rush follows a disastrous week for the industry as travellers have complained of missed flights, day-long delays and queues snaking out of terminal buildings. EasyJet and Tui were forced to cancel hundreds of flights — some at short notice — as they struggled to find enough crew and aircraft to fulfil their schedules, while airports including Manchester and Bristol apologised to customers for delays. Air traffic control problems across Europe added to the chaos.<br/>