Air traffic controllers shortage dents airlines’ post-lockdown recovery
Staffing shortages at air traffic control have delayed passengers in Europe this summer and forced US airlines to cut flights, sparking an industry blame game on both sides of the Atlantic. The shortages, combined with airspace closures in Europe, have fuelled a 37% increase in delayed flights on the continent over the past year, according to air traffic manager Eurocontrol. Air traffic control staffing and capacity issues were responsible for about half the delays in July, during the peak travel period, Eurocontrol added. Across the Atlantic, the US FAA asked airlines in March to cut back flying in New York’s crowded airspace due to air traffic control staffing shortages, while United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby criticised air traffic control for disruption at the airline’s New York hub. A report in June found widespread staffing shortages, with controllers at some facilities working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to manage the shortfall. The problems have threatened to dent the airline industry’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Airlines including British Airways owner IAG and Air France-KLM have recently reported booming profits off the back of high ticket prices and huge demand for transatlantic travel. But air traffic control staffing shortages are costing airlines millions in forgone ticket sales and increased operational expenses. Last year in Europe, delays cost carriers more than E800m, according to Eurocontrol figures. While the scale of the problem is smaller than in 2022, when staff shortages afflicted the whole industry, the combination of increasingly congested airspace and a lengthy training process for air traffic controllers means the problem is unlikely to be resolved quickly. Delta chief Ed Bastian and easyJet CE Johan Lundgren are among several airline executives on both sides of the Atlantic who have voiced their frustration at traffic control problems. “We needed a good recruiting and hiring plan coming out of the pandemic,” Bastian said. “The airlines had it. I’m not sure the air traffic control system did.”<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-08-03/general/air-traffic-controllers-shortage-dents-airlines2019-post-lockdown-recovery
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Air traffic controllers shortage dents airlines’ post-lockdown recovery
Staffing shortages at air traffic control have delayed passengers in Europe this summer and forced US airlines to cut flights, sparking an industry blame game on both sides of the Atlantic. The shortages, combined with airspace closures in Europe, have fuelled a 37% increase in delayed flights on the continent over the past year, according to air traffic manager Eurocontrol. Air traffic control staffing and capacity issues were responsible for about half the delays in July, during the peak travel period, Eurocontrol added. Across the Atlantic, the US FAA asked airlines in March to cut back flying in New York’s crowded airspace due to air traffic control staffing shortages, while United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby criticised air traffic control for disruption at the airline’s New York hub. A report in June found widespread staffing shortages, with controllers at some facilities working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks to manage the shortfall. The problems have threatened to dent the airline industry’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Airlines including British Airways owner IAG and Air France-KLM have recently reported booming profits off the back of high ticket prices and huge demand for transatlantic travel. But air traffic control staffing shortages are costing airlines millions in forgone ticket sales and increased operational expenses. Last year in Europe, delays cost carriers more than E800m, according to Eurocontrol figures. While the scale of the problem is smaller than in 2022, when staff shortages afflicted the whole industry, the combination of increasingly congested airspace and a lengthy training process for air traffic controllers means the problem is unlikely to be resolved quickly. Delta chief Ed Bastian and easyJet CE Johan Lundgren are among several airline executives on both sides of the Atlantic who have voiced their frustration at traffic control problems. “We needed a good recruiting and hiring plan coming out of the pandemic,” Bastian said. “The airlines had it. I’m not sure the air traffic control system did.”<br/>
