Courts said the disruptions over the half-term Jubilee weekend at UK airports, where some passengers faced long queues and cancellations due to staff shortages, have been "unacceptable". 

"The secretary of state for transport [Grant Shapps] and I have made it clear to the sector that they need to operate services that are offered for sale properly and according to schedule, or provide swift, appropriate compensation," he added.

"The aviation industry is privately owned, operated and run. It is, therefore, responsible for making sure that it has enough staff to meet demand and to operate the flights offered for sale. It is important that the sector is a competitive, attractive market for workers."

The government has called upon the sector’s leadership to offer better packages and build a "resilient" workforce to meet demand.

It is also taking steps to boost consumer rights, including recently consulting on using "Brexit freedoms" to "enhance" consumer protections. "We have committed to publishing an aviation passenger charter to ensure consumers can access information about their rights all in one place," Courts added.

"We have sought ways to ease the burden of background checks carried out by industry. A statutory instrument was laid on 29 April 2022 to provide greater flexibility, enabling ministers to take the decision to allow certain training to be undertaken while background checks were completed."

Ministers have also agreed that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) employment history letters can be used as a suitable form of reference check with safeguards in place. 

"This group will identify possible interventions to further improve the resilience of the sector and will be used to hold the sector to account for delivering its schedules," Courts said.