Transport secretary Mark Harper told the Commons on Thursday (13 July) that aviation minister Baroness Vere had been due to meet with easyJet boss Johan Lundgren that same day after easyJet on Monday (10 July) confirmed it would axe 1,700 flights to and from Gatwick between July and September, a move likely to impact almost 200,000 passengers.
EasyJet has blamed "unprecedented" air traffic control disruption for its decision, caused by the threat of further industrial action and the war in Ukraine, which it said had shrunk European airspace by 20%.
The move, though, has caused consternation among ministers keen to avoid a repeat of last summer, which saw air passengers impacted by disruption, delays and cancellations due to staffing issues and strikes.
Iain Stewart, chair of parliament’s transport committee, raised the issue with Harper during topical questions in the Commons. "As we approach the end of the school year, many families will be looking forward to setting off on their summer holidays, but there are concerns that industrial action in Europe will lead to flight cancellations and delays," said Stewart.
Stewart added: "People will also be mindful of the disruption at our ports and airports in recent times. What assurance can the secretary of state give me and those families that the system will be resilient to ensure they can get away?"
In response, Harper played down the potential impact of easyJet’s cancellations, describing them as "modest changes" to its summer flight schedule. "No other airline has indicated to the department that it will be cancelling flights ahead of the summer," said Harper. "We will continue to engage with airlines on that matter.
"The aviation minister is meeting with the chief executive officer of EasyJet later today [Thursday] to discuss its announcement. My team is meeting with the chief executiveof National Air Traffic Services to get an update on its operational readiness.
"We have already worked with the aviation industry to make sure that, this year, it is prepared for the busy summer period so that we avoid the problems that we had last year. We have received appropriate assurances, but I hope that we can reassure those whom my hon. Friend referred to in his question."
