As “short-notice staff sickness” triggered dozens of flight cancellations at London Gatwick airport, thousands of departing travellers face delays in the hunt for escaped terror suspect Daniel Khalife.
At least 6,000 passengers booked on 40 easyJet flights to and from Gatwick found their trips cancelled due to what the airline called “Nats air-traffic control staffing shortages”.
The shortages, caused by staff sickness, reduced the “flow rate” at which aircraft could arrive and depart at Gatwick – the world’s busiest single-runway airport.
As the biggest airline at the Sussex airport, easyJet is more affected than other carriers.
The easyJet cancellations began at 5pm with a Paris CDG service. Passengers on this and later grounded flights were told: “We’re sorry that your flight has been cancelled. This is due to air traffic control restrictions at London Gatwick airport caused by Nats air-traffic control staffing shortages.”
Two round-trips to Belfast International were cancelled, along with links to Milan, Verona and Zurich.
Other airlines affected include Norwegian from Copenhagen and Stavanger, Iberia from Madrid and Vueling from Barcelona.
Other flights operated with delays, sometimes of more than two hours.
Under European air passengers’ rights rules, travellers whose flights are cancelled for any reason are entitled to hotel accommodation, meals and alternative transport as soon as possible. But they do not qualify for cash compensation because the cause was beyond the airlines’ control.
A spokesperson for Nats said on Wednesday evening: “Air-traffic control restrictions have been put in place this afternoon due to short notice staff sickness affecting our air traffic control team at Gatwick airport.
“We are working closely with the airport and airlines to minimise disruption and apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
On 28 August, the nationwide Nats air-traffic control system failed, leading to more than 2,000 cancellations. Airlines, who face a combined bill of around £100m, are seeking compensation from Nats.
Travellers leaving the UK face delays due to police checks in the hunt for Daniel Khalife, who escaped from Wandsworth Prison in south London on Wednesday.
Because the UK has no formal border processing of outbound travellers, any additional checks add to the usual time taken to get through…
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