According to the Department for Transport 97% of accreditation checks are being completed "in around five days on average" and counter terrorist checks "in under 10 days on average", the latter down from a 20-day average turnaround in March.

The DfT said these efforts come in addition to allowing employers to begin certain training modules with new trainees while their background checks are outstanding.

It all comes as part of an effort to speed up the flow of new recruits into the aviation sector following months of disruption at UK airports owing to staffing shortages. Many aviation workers left the trade during the pandemic, and the industry is now struggling to staff up sufficiently quickly to meet renewed demand for travel.

"With passengers experiencing last-minute cancellations and delays as a result of the aviation industry struggling to recruit enough staff in time to meet the current surge in demand, the government has focused on delivering these checks as quickly as possible without compromising security to help ensure people don’t experience a repeat of the disruption at Easter during the summer holidays," said the DfT.

Vetting is a pre-requisite for airport security staff, x-ray scanners and many other terminal and airside roles. Ministers, though, have ruled out granting temporary visas for overseas aviation workers looking to work in the UK, stating the issue is not exclusive to the UK and that other countries are struggling too.

It follows publication, last week, of the government’s 22-point plan to address the issues facing the sector. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: "These statistics demonstrate how the government is doing its bit to help deliver for passengers; now the industry must fulfil its responsibilities.

"People have made huge sacrifices during the pandemic and deserve their flights to run on time, without complications, and without being cancelled last minute. While this is a challenging time for the sector, it is not acceptable for the current disruption to continue as we head into the summer peak.

"The public deserves to know now whether or not their flight will run over the summer, and so I reiterate my call for the industry to commit to deliver the flights they have scheduled, or to cancel them well in advance so people can make other arrangements."

’Unsustainable practise’

Other efforts to address the disruption include an amnesty on airport slot rules so airlines don’t have to schedule sufficient flights to meet the requirements to maintain their slots. The plans were put before parliament last month, designed to allow airlines "to plan ahead and deliver realistic summer schedules that minimise disruption".

The move was welcomed by Which? Travel editor Rory Boland. “An amnesty on slot rules is potentially good news for passengers as it should encourage airlines who need to cancel more flights to do so now rather than at the last minute and could ease disruption this summer by letting better-staffed airlines step in and fly routes," he said.

“For this to work, carriers must surrender their slots to other airlines if they are unable to fulfil them. This will help reduce cancellations and end the unsustainable practise of airlines flying near-empty planes to retain slots.”

Abta also welcomed the move. "Allowing additional flexibility around airport slots will help minimise these late cancellations meaning, if necessary, any changes can be made in advance and our travel agent and tour operator members can support customers to make alternative arrangements," said Abta’s director of public affairs Luke Petherbridge.