London Gatwick cancels flights due to Covid and sickness among air traffic controllers

London Gatwick Airport is set to cancel approximately 82 departures in the coming week due to a shortage of air traffic controllers resulting from sickness and Covid-19. Around 30% of the air traffic control staff are unavailable, and discussions will determine which flights to cancel, with affected airlines proportionally based on their usage of the airport.

easyJet, as the largest operator at Gatwick, will be the most affected, along with British Airways and Ryanair. The airport will temporarily cap flights at 800 per day to manage the situation and provide more certainty to passengers.

Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate apologised for the disruptions and emphasised the need to work on improving the resilience of the air traffic service. The worst-affected day will be September 29, with 33 departures cancelled. However, no cancellations are expected for Tuesday or Saturday.

The decision aims to minimise last-minute cancellations and delays for travellers. Gatwick had previously experienced disruptions due to staff shortages in air traffic control, and a data glitch at NATS had also impacted flights.