A 22-point plan was published by the Department for Transport on Thursday (30 June) with ministers calling on the industry to “do everything within its power” to fix the issues faced during the Easter and half-term holidays.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said holidaymakers “deserve certainty” ahead of the first summer free of restrictions since the pandemic began, adding: “While it’s never going to be possible to avoid every single delay or cancellation, we’ve been working closely with airports and airlines to make sure they are running realistic schedules.”
Reacting to the plan, Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, said the industry body “shared government’s ambitions to ensure passengers can enjoy smooth and safe journeys through the summer”.
Dee said airports were “working hard” to prepare for the summer peak – with recruitment campaigns for security staff “progressing well” and ensuring closer collaboration with airlines to manage more efficient check-in and baggage services.
“By working closely together in this way, we aim to deliver the service that passengers have rightly come to expect of UK aviation,” said Dee.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the industry body representing UK-registered carriers, said: “The whole sector is working closely with ministers and the CAA to build greater resilience into operations this summer.”
Alderslade described UK aviation as “a complex international eco-system with many moving parts”, which he assured were “working collectively” and promised stakeholders “will do everything we can to ensure this summer is a success”.
Meanwhile, Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, said the association welcomed the work the DfT had been doing with the aviation sector and commended its focus on recruitment and driving talent.
However, Wratten called the focus on the summer leisure season as “disappointing” calling for a “longer-term strategy” to overcome current disruptions also facing business travellers.
“It is imperative people travelling for work can have confidence in their arrangements, in order to boost our international trading status,” he said.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer gave his backing to the plan, adding how Abta’s agent and operator members would continue to support customers “in the unlikely event that their travel plans change”.
