London — London's Gatwick Airport is reducing the number of daily flights during its busy summer period to help tackle issues over staffing.
The city's second-busiest airport is planning to limit its number of daily flights to 825 in July and 850 in August compared to a reported 900 daily flights during the same time period in previous years.
It said the decision was taken following a review of its operations and that it is "temporarily moderating its rate of growth" for two months to help passengers "experience a more reliable and better standard of service."
Gatwick added that the reduction allows airlines to manage more predictable timetables and help the ground handling companies during the school holidays, adding that the vast majority of scheduled flights this summer will operate as normal.
Its airport review found that a number of companies based at Gatwick are continuing to operate with a severe lack of staff resources over the summer holiday period.
The airport warned that if the issue was not addressed, passengers could experience queues, delays and cancellations.
Airline passengers have been hit by disruption for several months, with the situation worsening that week due to the rise in demand sparked by the half-term school holiday and the four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The aviation industry is suffering from staff shortages after letting thousands of people go during the coronavirus pandemic.
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