British Airways, the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, has slashed hundreds of flights on some of its most popular routes for the summer season due to staff shortages.
According to the latest reports, UK’s largest airline has already axed over 1,000 flights in little more than three weeks.
Last Wednesday, around 112 flights to European and Mediterranean destinations have been cut from the British Airways schedule after 96 flights were cancelled the day before.
The routes affected by cancellations include London to Berlin, Dublin, Geneva, Paris, Stockholm, Athens, and Prague.
British Airways officials announced that the canceled daily flight to and from Miami would be picked up by American Airlines. Hong Kong has been removed from the flight list due to ongoing entry restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Flights from London to Tokyo have been suspended for the rest of the summer 2022 season. There will be no flights to those destinations until September and October, respectively.
In response to a wave of criticism over the mass cancellations, British Airways CEO Sean Doyle has emailed customers saying, “We’ll do everything we can to get you where you need to be.”
Just like most of the major international air carriers, British Airways is suffering from chronic staff shortages after laying off thousands of staff during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The airline is now trying to urgently hire more workers to replenish its ranks.
In the meantime, there are growing concerns over other UK airlines also being plagued with problems, with EasyJet cancelling hundreds of flights over Easter. Industry experts have already warned that the travel chaos could take months to resolve due to ongoing staff shortages.