AirBaltic is preparing for another summer of flight disruptions in Europe
Airline operations across much of Europe could be described as chaos last summer as travelers surged back after Covid. This summer is shaping up to be a lot better, with more staff hired across the system and airlines better prepared for the realities of post-pandemic flying, but it will still be tough. “Airports, if we have a summer like last summer with all airlines growing, will be congested,” AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss said in an interview. While the airline’s Riga base was not affected by the disruptions seen at the mega-hubs of Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and London, all of these are important destinations for AirBaltic and issues there can ripple out and affect operations across Europe. Eurocontrol, which manages the airspace across Europe, forecasts the number of flights in the region to reach 95 percent of 2019 levels in July and August. But it does not expect the recovery to go smoothly, even with airlines and airports having largely addressed the staffing issues that plagued them a year ago. Airspace closures as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the risk of industrial action, and increased travel demand are all expected to pressure European airline operations again this year. “2023 is set to be the most challenging year for the network in terms of matching capacity with demand, and keeping delays down,” Eurocontrol said in its 2023 outlook. And, while the staffing situation has improved, it has not been completely solved. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport recently extended a cap on the number of passengers through April and May citing continuing staffing issues. The cap was previously set to lift at the end of March. While air traffic control strikes in France, for example, would have a limited operational impact on AirBaltic as long as Eurocontrol keeps high-altitude overflights moving, the Russian airspace closures and other challenges could prove “tough” for the airline, Gauss said. Any Riga flight to or from points south is now limited to a roughly 50 mile wide corridor between Russia and Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Poland, that can get congested. This forces AirBaltic to reroute flights to the east over Swedish airspace that adds time — including decreased aircraft utilization — and cost to its operations.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-02-28/unaligned/airbaltic-is-preparing-for-another-summer-of-flight-disruptions-in-europe
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AirBaltic is preparing for another summer of flight disruptions in Europe
Airline operations across much of Europe could be described as chaos last summer as travelers surged back after Covid. This summer is shaping up to be a lot better, with more staff hired across the system and airlines better prepared for the realities of post-pandemic flying, but it will still be tough. “Airports, if we have a summer like last summer with all airlines growing, will be congested,” AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss said in an interview. While the airline’s Riga base was not affected by the disruptions seen at the mega-hubs of Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and London, all of these are important destinations for AirBaltic and issues there can ripple out and affect operations across Europe. Eurocontrol, which manages the airspace across Europe, forecasts the number of flights in the region to reach 95 percent of 2019 levels in July and August. But it does not expect the recovery to go smoothly, even with airlines and airports having largely addressed the staffing issues that plagued them a year ago. Airspace closures as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the risk of industrial action, and increased travel demand are all expected to pressure European airline operations again this year. “2023 is set to be the most challenging year for the network in terms of matching capacity with demand, and keeping delays down,” Eurocontrol said in its 2023 outlook. And, while the staffing situation has improved, it has not been completely solved. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport recently extended a cap on the number of passengers through April and May citing continuing staffing issues. The cap was previously set to lift at the end of March. While air traffic control strikes in France, for example, would have a limited operational impact on AirBaltic as long as Eurocontrol keeps high-altitude overflights moving, the Russian airspace closures and other challenges could prove “tough” for the airline, Gauss said. Any Riga flight to or from points south is now limited to a roughly 50 mile wide corridor between Russia and Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Poland, that can get congested. This forces AirBaltic to reroute flights to the east over Swedish airspace that adds time — including decreased aircraft utilization — and cost to its operations.<br/>
