Holidaymakers have been issued a warning amid travel across Europe this Summer.
Travelling Brits will still have flightmares over last year's airport chaos as the disruption caused by Covid-related staff shortages was resulting in all types of issues.
Delayed flights, huge queues, and lost luggage were just some of the problems UK airports had been facing.
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Back in 2022, an airport worker at East Midlands Airport previously told LADbible that he 'can't see it getting any better for at least two years'.
"Things will not change until the government gives us appreciation to us to get the aviation industry back up and running as normal and telling the company to pay us a bit more as the cost of living is getting higher and higher," he said at the time.
Andy Prendergast, GMB National Secretary, also told LADbible: “Airport workers need training, and they need security clearance. They cannot be recruited overnight.
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“With better wages and better use of furlough, the industry would not be struggling for staff. But cutting skilled workers jobs – a practice we saw repeatedly across the sector during COVID - that cannot be replaced overnight was short-sighted.
“To solve the problem airports and operators need to offer fair wages and plan for peaks in demand.”
Fast forward to 2023, it seems that the majority of the issues have since been curbed and the travel disruption has been far less than last year - so far.
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*trying not to jinx it*
However, passengers across Europe have recently been warned of a potentially 'challenging' summer ahead, for slightly different reasons.
Eurocontrol, who manages European airspace, said that 'high overloads' of flight traffic could prove to be a problem.
Raúl Medina, Eurocontrol’s director-general, said: "This summer in Europe is challenging as we have less available airspace because of the war in Ukraine and the military needs.
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"We need everyone to play their part. Airports need to be well staffed, it is vital [air traffic services] provide enough capacity and airlines stick to their schedules.
"Recent industrial action caused many delays.
"We can manage situations like that in quieter periods but if it happens in the middle of summer it will be much more challenging."
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Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association, said the disruption in June was 'well beyond what is normal for the time of year'.
He added: “We have the chaotic situation where we’re seeing almost daily air traffic control strikes, which doesn’t just disrupt traffic in France but right across Europe because it forces airlines to reroute to other countries.”
We can only hope not to have a repeat of last year's chaos.
Anish Vij